Cartones No 3. by Joàn Miró, 1893-1983

Joàn Miró, 1893-1983
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Cartones No 3.

Original lithograph in colours. 1965. Signed in pencil. Numbered (64) in pencil from the edition of 75 (plus 6 proofs). Drawn by Miro to mark his exhibition 'Cartones - Works on Cardboard' at the Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York 1965. Printed at the Atelier Mourlot, Paris. Issued by Pierre Matisse, New York 1965.
Ref: Mourlot - Miro Lithographs no 453

Extremely fine impression with brilliant colours. On pale cream wove Arches paper. Excellent condition. Sheet: 21 1/2 x 27 3/4ins. Image approx: 20 x 24 1/4ins (510x615mm).

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In 1965 Miró had the second of his major post-war exhibitions in New York at the Pierre Matisse Gallery. It was an exhibition which was of key importance in confirming his position as one of the most important and influential painters of the mid 20th century. The exhibition concentrated on paintings on board rather than canvas and on the textural qualities with which Miró instilled such works. The exhibition was called ?Cartones?. To mark the exhibition Miró drew this large format lithograph.

The exhibition focussed on the rich textures of Miró?s board paintings. This lithograph echoes this emphasis on texture. The quality which makes Miró?s major lithographs of the mid 1960?s such exciting works of art, and one of the peaks of his graphic oeuvre, is the contrasts of surface texture with which Miró instilled them. He achieved this sense of texture and multiple visual plane through the contrasts of stroke; playful thin chalk or pen line is contrasted against bold sweeps of the brush laden with strong colour inks. In their turn these wash strokes are set against patterns of ?spatter? ink and coarse whirls of chalk. The varying strokes create the sense of varied levels of surface; the counterpoint of the bold colours set in motion yet another sometimes opposing visual interplay.

In 1966, writing to the buyer of one of his paintings, Miró wrote that he wanted his paintings not to be an end in themselves but to bring about a certain state of mind, to stimulate the imagination and to induce meditation. This idea is also perfectly expressed in his ?Cartones? lithograph.