Joan Miró

Spanish, 1893-1983

Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in the Night)

Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983). Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in Night), 1945. Oil on canvas, 51 x 64 inches (129.5 x 162.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958 (K1958:10). © Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

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© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in the Night), 1945

Artwork Details

Materials

oil on canvas

Measurements

support: 51 x 64 inches (129.54 x 162.56 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958

Accession ID

K1958:10

This painting contains three of Joan Miró’s favorite subjects: night, women, and birds. For Miró, a nocturnal theme provided a simultaneous sense of comfort and fear. While the night is quiet and calm, many unknowns can lurk in the darkness. He felt that this inherent uncertainty allows us to be more in tune with our imaginations and subconscious thoughts. Female figures predominate Miró’s night scenes. These women are often accompanied by birds, which Miró believed served as intermediaries between the celestial (sky) and terrestrial (human). Here, the artist executed such compositional elements in a precise manner, and they are accompanied with gestural interventions of paint. His bright color palette becomes subordinate to the linear character of the work, which is further emphasized by the abundance of white ground. The result is a striking balance between spontaneity and control.

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017