Head of a Woman

Head of a Woman arrived in 1938 and this frightening image is almost a warning about the horrors that were awaiting the world over the course of WWII.

Here we find Miro at his most surreal, re-arranging the woman into a scary beast, as if bringing a nightmare to life. The surrealist movement, which included the likes of Dali, Magritte and Ernst, was all about connecting dreams and reality together in a new art form which would generally polarise those who saw it for the first time. Miro himself was not perhaps entirely part of the group, but they admired his work and the similarities were obvious. He did, however, vary his style over time and not all of his different periods were directly comparable with this movement. For example, later on he became more and more abstract, leaving behind the other artists mentioned here who would generally prefer an accuracy of detail with their own paintings.

Something that was fairly consistent for Miro was his use of colour, which for many decades would concentrate on reds, blacks and whites, with some tones of blue, yellow and green when he felt the need. This painting continues that trend, with a blue background and the remaining colours used to form this extraordinary creation. Miro was an artist who could portray women in two different ways, depending on his mood at the time. Sometimes there was beauty, perhaps even motherhood represented. But in this case he clearly demonstrates the darker side of women, as he saw it, with large teeth which appeared as if a monster was approaching, ready to devour you with a great menace. The blue background makes us feel as if we are below this creature, looking up, feeling decidely vulnerable.