The Flight of the Dragonfly in Front of the Sun

The Flight of the Dragonfly before the Sun was produced by Joan Miro in 1968 abd can be considered one of his most abstract paintings of all. It now resides within the collection of the The National Gallery of Art, USA.

Miro would produce many depictions of the sun within his paintings and normally chose to do so using a large red circle, which in this case is given a slim white outline. The sun truly dominates this painting, stretching across most of the vertical and leaving the viewer in no doubt as to its significance within this particular painting. The artist then forms the dragonfly to the right hand side, using a simple line, with a circle to the side. That part of the work is much harder to identify, and the title of the piece helps to clear up that confusion. The rest of the artwork is then filled with a smoky tone of blue and this was how Miro often painted his backgrounds, giving a slightly unplanned, natural feel against the strikingly bold and consistent tone of red for the sun. Miro had followed a path within his career, becoming more and more abstract as he developed over time, eventually reaching this point of true abstraction.

Few artists have had a bigger impact on the progression of modern art than Miro, and that is why his work is so valuable. He really helped to push things onwards in the 20th century, rejecting traditional methods in favour of new ideas which took time to be accepted. He collaborated with others and this strengthened their position, and helped them to achieve collective success much quicker than if they had gone it alone. Today we accept modern art in all its guises, but the journey to this point for artists like Miro was far from easy.

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., United States remains one of the best locations with which to enjoy art, anywhere in the world. Their collection is impressively varied in terms of periods, with work coming from the Early Renaissance, all the way up to the present day. They have so much within their collection that even excellent artworks such as The Flight of the Dragonfly before the Sun may not actually be on display all of the time, so check ahead before visiting if there is a specific item that you would like to see in person. The most famous artworks will, however, tend to be out on display, and these include the likes of Family of Saltimbanques by Pablo Picasso, The Equatorial Jungle by Henri Rousseau, Open Window, Collioure by Henri Matisse and also Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet.