Stencil, 1959

Publisher : Pierre Matisse (New-York)

Printer : Mourlot (Daniel Jacomet)

43.50 cm. x 36.00 cm. | 17.13 in. x 14.17 in. (paper)

After a gouache by Joan Miro
Signed in the plate

Between 1940 and 1941, in Varangeville-sur-Mer and Palma de Majorca, the poet among the Surrealists produced an unusual series of gouaches, bringing the viewer closer to the stars and his spirituality. This series, Constellations, comprises twenty-three gouaches on paper, which the artist reworked nine years later as gouache stencils on a lithographic background. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, owns the complete series, and the copy on offer is part of the Centre Pompidou collection.

From 1939 to 1944, Miro worked mainly on paper, as materials were scarce and expensive in wartime. However, he learned to love the medium, which he felt encouraged spontaneity. He adapted this series of gouaches to lithography because he wanted to distribute them as widely as possible. This project was made possible thanks to the support of Pierre Matisse, the painter's son, who had been Miro's gallery owner in the United States since 1932. The artist worked at the Ateliers Mourlot in Paris, under the direction of Daniel Jacomet, an eminent art printer.

In these difficult times, Miro isolated himself to recharge his batteries and focus on his inner richness, which found its parallel in the cosmos: "The spectacle of the sky exhilarates me. I feel exhilarated when I see, in an immense sky, the crescent moon or the sun".

In this warm-toned work, Miro depicts twilight, the hour of passage between two worlds, night and day, sleep and awakening, inside and outside. Motifs of stars, dots and free-form shapes subtly outline the elements designated in the title. The execution is fine and the composition airy. The gouache highlights bring a new perspective to this imaginary landscape, with relief and texture encouraging the viewer to cross the dimensions of reality.

Certificate of authenticity
Very good condition

Ref : LCD5869