The Smile of the Flamboyant Wings 1953

Joan Miró made "The Smile of the Flamboyant Wings" with playful lines and shapes, swimming in front of us, on a cool grey-toned canvas. It's a scene, almost like a stage, and the players are all these colourful figures, rendered in bold, flat colours. I'm thinking about Miró at work, improvising, letting the brush lead him. The red circle, that sun-like form, it's so present, so definite. It anchors the whole composition. But then, the wings, they're like a kite, a flag, soaring with this electric energy. The blue star almost whispers in response. Imagine Miró, reaching for that blue, maybe thinking of the Mediterranean sky, or the colour of a child's toy. I love how the artist put it all together, so that the elements are dancing together. I feel like I am in his studio, watching him work through gesture after gesture, line after line. It’s the conversation of forms, colours, the push and pull of his imagination, all there, on the canvas, for us to wonder at.