Meet the Masters Joan Miro and Jackson Pollock

Joan Miro (1893-1983)

Miro was born in Barcelona, Spain and painted until his 80’s.

When he was 26, he went to Paris and was influenced by other artists like Braque and Picasso. He spent much of his life going back and forth between Paris and Barcelona.

Portrait No. 1, Surrealism Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD Date: 1938 Medium: Oil and Pencil on Canvas Miro’s work is playful, dreamlike, and imaginative. His work has bright colors and shapes with magical and strange characters. He exhibited with a group of painters called the Surrealists. He designed tapestries, made ceramics, and created stone and wood sculptures.

Other Miro Pieces

Jackson Pollock (1912-1956)

Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming and studied art at the Art Students’ League in New York. As an adult, he married Lee Krasner, also an artist, and moved to Springs, New York.

Pollock experimented with all-over painting using lines, splatters, and paint drips to create drip paintings. He created a new type of art called Abstract Expressionism and became famous. He is still considered a very important American artist.

Composition Abstract Expressionism Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD Date: 1934-1938 Medium: Oil on Canvas The canvas was spread on floor and he walked on it or around it dropping and pouring paint from a can. This is called Action Painting since he represented action of his arm, hand, and body. He sometimes used a brush or palette knife. The lines and splatters cover the entire piece and there is no beginning or end. His work is reflective of nature being everywhere and in everything.

Other pieces

Compare Joan Miro Portrait No, 1 Jackson Pollock Composition