The Red Sun (1948)

The Red Sun (1948) holds a date within its title because it's creator, Joan Miro, re-visited this theme many times across his career. This abstract painter loved to represent the sun with a simple red circle, which normally wasn't perfectly round, nor was it intended to be so.

The wishy-washy background found within this painting is also entirely typical of the artist, and gave an almost organic atmosphere which in some examples would remind us of the night sky. It would be impossible to recreate precisely the same look again, giving each artwork a distinct moment in time which would never happen again. This technique gave the background an interesting look, but without offering any precise detail, so that the foreground would always remain as the main focal point. Miro would apply the paint loosely and expressively across the entire canvas, before then going over the top with additional detail for the foreground. Normally this would involve simple shapes and lines, normally within a reduced palette that provided a contemporary look which gave a strong impact. Some of his foreground elements would appear to be similarly random in application, whilst others would be very precise.

The artist created a series of forms which were repeated across many of his paintings. We all remember the Red Sun, but there were also other shapes such as birds, people and other elements that formed a sort of visual language which Miro could then repeat across multiple mediums, even stretching into ceramics with the help of some specialists. This all had the effect of creating a sort of brand which was instantly recognisable as that of Miro, and this helped his reputation to flourish, even though his approach was so groundbreaking and unusual in the earlier parts of his career. Today we all take modern art very much for granted, but artists such as Miro were forced to push back boundaries over a period of several decades before eventually being accepted into the art mainstream world. It would then be far easier for those who followed to receive acceptance for their own work.

The Red Sun (1948) is an interesting artwork that continues the artist's use of red circles to form suns within his paintings. This version was one of many, as discussed, but is still worthy of note from an individual perspective because of its slight variations from his other uses. Today all of his paintings command exceptional valuations, on the rare occasions that they come up for sale, though most owners would seldom be interested in parting with them, other than for moments of financial desperation. Many reside today in some of the most famous and impressive art galleries in the world, with most found in Europe or the US, which is where his reputation remains the strongest.