Woman in front of the sun I 1974

Joan Miró conjured ‘Woman in front of the sun I’ with oil on canvas, in Barcelona, and right away, you can see how the sparseness of the palette sets the tone. It’s playful, like a kid’s drawing, but there’s an edge to it, a hint of the subconscious bubbling up. The heavy black feels almost sculptural, doesn't it? Like Miro was carving shapes out of the canvas. The pigment is opaque, demanding your attention. And then you get these little drips, like the painting is still alive and moving. Look at the two curved lines suggesting a nose. See how that simple gesture brings the whole figure to life? Miró was in conversation with artists like Klee, and you can see a similar interest in the childlike and the symbolic. But Miró brings his own Catalan flavor to it. He is never afraid to embrace ambiguity, leaving us with more questions than answers, which is what makes art so endlessly fascinating.