Painting (Head) 1927

Joan Miró painted this dreamy head with oil on canvas, and though we can’t know the exact date, it speaks to his lifelong interest in surrealism and the subconscious mind. Look at how this ghostly white form hovers against the warm beige background. I imagine Miró standing before the canvas, coaxing the shape into being, building up layers of paint, maybe wiping them away, until this cloud-like head emerges. It has two simple eyes, one red, one green, staring out at us, and thin black lines that dangle down like roots or string. There is a light touch, and the paint isn't overworked, it is as though it came about naturally and intuitively. I see a connection to other surrealist painters like Max Ernst and André Masson, who were also trying to tap into the unconscious through spontaneous, improvisational techniques. These artists were all in conversation, pushing each other to explore new ways of seeing and representing the world.