In 1944, Miró completed a group of fifty black-and-white lithographs known as the Barcelona Series. Named for his hometown, where he found refuge after escaping from occupied Paris, the series is populated by faceless shadows, sharp-fanged hybrids, and wide-eyed forms with raised arms. Although known for its playful biomorphic figures, Miró's work had taken on an increasingly political tone following the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, as his support for the Republican cause and his experience of anxiety and anguish in Franco-ruled Spain became more apparent.
Gallery label from Soldier, Spectre, Shaman: The Figure and the Second World War, October 24, 2015-March 20, 2016.
