The Birth of the World

When describing his work from 1925-1927, Miro famously claimed that he had moved "beyond painting". The Birth of the World is one example of what he was referring to, where a new artistic perspective was created, a new language by which to portray the world.

Joan Miro had always rejected traditional forms of art, happily displeasing academics with his modern art fusion of surrealism and abstraction. As his career developed he would invent new ways of depicting reality, be it topics such as the cosmos, or just scenes of daily life. He would put together constructions in his notebooks and then carry them across onto canvas. He would also leave small notes as to how best to make the transition from pencil to oil. Miro attempted to create an element of randomness into this series of paintings, making use of a variety of techniques such as pouring, flicking and applying a rag. The result of that was an uneven surface, as if created from natural means.

The purpose of this painting, as well as others from his "dream series", was to provide a feeling of limitless space on canvas. It is hard to explain this to occasional art fans, but the achievement was applauded by a number of notable artists such as Picasso and Breton. They prefectly understood what he was seeking to achieve with this groundbreaking style of art and are both documented as having spoken about this series of paintings with a high regard and intrigue. They were, of course, very much in the school of encouraging new ideas, but others were inevitably less welcoming - just as Miro would have expected. Much of the 20th century would then become involved with experimenting with space and the third dimension within a two dimensional artwork.

The Birth of the World remains part of the collection of MoMA in New York and can be found alongside other famous Miro paintings such as The Hunter. Miro was someone whose career can be viewed through series of paintings and themes, with this series inspired by dreams being amongst his most significant. He continued onwards throughout his life attempting to find new forms of expression, be it painting techniques or artistic styles. Few Catalans have left as big an impression on European art as Miro and his career oeuvre continues to be held in high regard, particularly with the advantage of perspective of the overall development of modern art.