Joan Miro’s life and art really do seem to be in contrast to one another, don’t they?
Online activities:
- Play pinball online as you navigate through Miro’s paintings
- View an animated Miro painting
- Watch a short video showing many of Miro’s works
Books:
- Read more about the fascinating life of Joan Miro in Miro, Famous Artist by Antony Mason
- Color your own Miro in this book by Annette Roeder
Create:
- Play a game with dice to create your own Miro inspired artwork.
Consider:
As we discussed in class, Miro’s Catholic faith was important to him, and drove him to be very concerned about the common people around him. In his words he saw the role of the artist “to be someone, who amidst the silence of others, uses his voice to say something and who has the obligation that this thing not be useless but something that is of service to mankind.”
One of his favorite symbols to use in his work was the ladder. It represented not a means of escape, but a means of reaching something greater. Consider this in light of Isaiah 58:10 which says
“If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”
So what does that mean? In short, God promises to reward those who offer help and compassion to the poor and needy around about them.
To be clear, Christianity isn’t all about behaving perfectly (anyone who says that is possible is a hypocrite). We all sin, and that grieves our savior, but he has offered us forgiveness. Our only obligation is to believe. Out of that belief we then show mercy and love to others as an act of love for God. We need to humbly serve those around us. No pious belief can justify treating others poorly. Instead, our faith should push us toward sincere good works motivated by right motives. Out of that mercy and kindness God will provide us with comfort.
