Woman Encircled by the Flight of a Bird

Women Encircled by the Flight of a Bird dates from 1959 and is one of sixteen artworks produced by Joan Miro which were known collectively as his Constellations series. This particular piece features a myriad of detail, covering the entire canvas with an equal prominence throughout.

Miro in this painting creates large numbers of simple shapes, boasting black colour most frequently. Many of these forms will overlap each other, helping to create a lively atmosphere which remains consistent across the entire artwork. We see many circles within circles, where outlines create pre-historical eye designs, which were common within this Catalan painter's career. There are also other shapes which resemble creatures, such as a slithering snail just above the centre of the composition. This artist would typically deliver backgrounds which were plain but with some random use of paint which looked organic, as if staring into deep space and seeing all manner of competing forces. There was very much a theme of cosmology within many of these paintings and stars and the sun feature regularly within that.

This artwork is listed as having been produced using pochoir on paper, with the overall piece measuring 430 × 357 mm. It is a gift of Mrs. Walter P. Paepcke, according to its current owners which is the Chicago Art Institute in the USA. A large number of this artist's paintings have made it over to the US, which caters to the significant Hispanic population as well as the considerable interest in European art which persists across most communities within the country. In recent decades there has also been a growing strength in the galleries and museums of the US, who can now compete favourably against the long-established competitors across in Europe, with American collectors continuing to pass on some of their own possessions in order to keep these local institutions growing in size on an annual basis.

We do know that some of Miro's work has since been printed off by others, and so some of the attributions have actually moved away from Miro to those responsible for the printing process. This is entirely common within the art world, and it is always understood as to who created the original designs. One will find a similar example with sculpture, when moulds are used to create new sculptures even after the original artist has actually passed away, though anything that did not touch their own hands will always receive a considerably lower valuation, which drops more and more, as time passes between their death and the subsequent production takes place. Head to the Chicago gallery to also enjoy a wealth of art from other major names as well.