Barcelona 1972 - 1973

Editor: We are looking at Joan Miró's "Barcelona," created between 1972 and 1973, a mixed-media piece blending graphic art and painting. The abstract forms and vibrant colors give it a playful yet intriguing feel. What strikes you about the formal elements of this work? Curator: The first element that attracts the eye is line. Notice how the thick, bold black lines define the skeletal structure of the composition. This line creates strong contours that separate it from the ground of the canvas and produce discrete zones of color. Further, notice the contrast to the thin, scratchy lines which function more as a textural addition and only vaguely define areas within the composition. Editor: So you're highlighting the use of contrasting lines? I'm wondering if the relationship of line and color might change the visual impact? Curator: Precisely. Consider how Miró employs a limited, but potent color palette of primary hues. The flat application of red, blue, and yellow juxtaposed against the black lines creates visual tension. Color does not operate independently from line. If these zones of primary colors changed relative size or shape or were shifted in spatial relation with other elements of the work the structural relations that comprise the totality of "Barcelona" would also change. Editor: It's interesting to think about how those formal choices really shape the artwork. It also calls into question if our perception of individual formal aspects in art, such as lines, colors, etc. is independent of its constituent relationships with others. Curator: Indeed. One might conclude that the artwork and its internal compositional logic could only be expressed via the relationships between aspects that constitute it, but not independently. It seems Miró masterfully deploys the dialectic between chaos and control.