The Art of Business

Barcelona Artist Joan Miro

Joan Miro was an early 20th century Spanish painter, ceramicist and sculptor. He was born in April, 1893 in Barcelona. He is internationally known and is typically classified as a Surrealist. He was born into a family of watchmakers and goldsmiths, and developed his fascination with the arts early in life. In 1920 he moved to Paris and become associated with the growing Montparnasse arts community. It was during his years in Paris and through the inspiration of fellow artists that he developed his own style. Many tourists who visit Barcelona are attracted to the museums and various artists that have sprung from this great city. Barcelona’s dynamic cultural heritage is a major attraction to guests staying in a Barcelona Spain hotel.

Miro was known for his contempt with the status quo and his opposition to standard painting styles, which he considered to be supportive of the bourgeois society. He much preferred to upset the standard visual patterns and style of paintings and create a new perspective from a unique viewpoint. He believed this would re-orient viewers to both art and the world. One of his ways of doing this was by establishing the automatic drawing technique, which he believed would undo previously established painting styles.

Miro worked and collaborated with other artists. One of his collaborations occurred in 1926 with Max Ernst. They worked together on designs for Sergei Diaghilev. Ernst is credited with the development of the grattage technique , and Miro helped him to do this. The grattage technique is a style of painting where pigment is troweled onto the canvass. Miro also worked with the printer Fernand Mourlot whom he met in Paris. The two of them formed a close friendship that would last for forty years. Their friendship is responsible for the creation of over one thousand lithograph editions.