Milano

In Miro's painting, Milano, you can see the style and influence of Surrealism. He used bold primary and secondary colors and his intense imagination in all his paintings. It is clearly displayed here in Milano.

It was in his early career that Miro developed his love for bold bright colors of the French Fauve painters. Milano means kite (bird of prey with a forked tail) in Spanish. You can see how he implies the bird, but also leaves the rest to the imagination. Miro's work is bold and childlike which is represented in this painting. In 'Milano', Miro conveys an energetic zest for life and childlike expression of the freedom he had in creating his work. He earned international acclaim with his work and influenced a generation of American artists, the 'Abstract Expressionists.'

His work is a joyful rebellion against conventional painting methods as displayed in 'Milano.' It incorporates simplified forms and Miro's life long impulse toward experimentation in art form. He is considered to be Surrealism's most lyrical painter-poet. Joan Miro was born in Spain and later became a leading figure in the Surrealist movement. His love of drawing showed itself at an early age. In 1912 Miro went to the art academy in Barcelona. Here he learned of the modern art movements in Europe and the school introduced him the contemporary Catalan poets.

His early art was inspired by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. In the mid-1920's Miro developed his style of art which is central throughout his whole career. The Surrealists were most active in Paris in the 1920's. Miro formed a relationship with Andre Breton, a Surrealist writer, that lasted for many years. Miro participated in an exhibition run by Andre Breton in 1959 in Spain. The exhibition was titled a 'Homage to Surrealism.'

In the 1960's Miro was still prolific. He never changed his style, but his later work is known to be more mature and refined in terms of form. Miro's paintings are noted to be biomorphic playful bright colored art. This style is prevelant in 'Milano'. Miro never transitioned to complete abstraction, but nevertheless, his art was still purely his invention. His art has influenced the 'Color Field' painters like Robert Motherwell, Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, and others. He also influenced designers like Paul Rand, Lucienne Day and Julian Hatton.