Souris rouge à la mantille (Dupin 751) by Joan Miró

Provenance:
Sinai Health Foundation, Toronto

Literature:
Roland Penrose, "Miró", London, 1985, pages 116–117
Jacques Dupin, "Miró Engraver: III. 1973-1975", Paris, 1992, catalogue no. 751

Along with Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, the Catalan painter Joan Miró is celebrated as one of the foremost Spanish modern artists after gaining prominence for depicting his imaginary world full of strange figures and biomorphic forms that appear to float in space. As Miró described to a journalist in 1931: “I’m only interested in anonymous art, the kind that springs from the collective unconscious.” In this vibrant work, the main subject is a mouse shown in profile, with its piercing yellow gaze capturing the viewer’s attention. Despite its protruding snout and large ears filling up the upper register, the body of the mouse ultimately dominates the composition in a fiery shade of red. Miró’s characteristic biomorphic forms, shown here in blue, green and red tones, are dispersed randomly. His painterly black splatters scatter in different densities and directions, further animating the surface of the background and drawing the viewer’s eye to follow its meandering course.