Miró developed his Black and Red Series in the midst of the Spanish Civil War. He conceived the compositions as variants on a crowded scene in which three figures—sometimes interpreted as a mother, a daughter, and a father (a group that corresponds to Miró’s own family)—face a monstrous, long-nosed head that might symbolize General Francisco Franco, who would go on to rule as dictator for several decades. To create the prints, the artist worked with two etched copper plates, alternately inking them in red and black. He superimposed them in different combinations and positions that suggest varying degrees of tumult within an overall narrative of oppression and fear.
Gallery label from 2021
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Medium
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One from a series of eight etchings
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Dimensions
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plate: 6 5/8 × 10 1/2" (16.9 × 26.7 cm); sheet: 12 15/16 × 17 5/8" (32.9 × 44.8 cm)
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Publisher
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Pierre Matisse, New York and Pierre Loeb, Paris
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Printer
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the artist at Louis Marcoussis's studio, Paris and Lacourière, Paris
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Edition
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30
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Credit
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Purchased with the Frances Keech Fund and funds given by Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, Gilbert Kaplan, Jeanne C. Thayer, Reba and Dave Williams, Ann and Lee Fensterstock, Linda Barth Goldstein, Walter Bareiss, Mrs. Melville Wakeman Hall, Emily Rauh Pulitzer, and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert D. Schimmel
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Object number
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239.1996.2
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Copyright
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© 2023 Successió Miró / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
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Department
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Drawings and Prints
