Color lithograph on cream wove paper. From Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme, by André Breton and other authors, 1959. Edition of 200. Printed and published by Mourlot, Paris. Cramer 57; Mourlot 195.

Joan Miró, (1893-1983) Spanish painter, sculptor, graphic artist and designer, was one of the creative giants of 20th Century art. Although his early work showed various influences, he was particularly influenced by the Surrealists and throughout his life remained true to the surrealistic principle of releasing the creative forces of the unconscious mind from the control of logic and reason. Miró was very much against the established painting methods of the time, and is often credited with being the founder of automatic drawing, which is the process of allowing the hand to move randomly, leaving the artwork to chance. For Miró, automatic drawing was also a way to break free from conventional form. However, his work stood apart and outside classification. Although much of his work is delightfully playful, it could also be somber as when he designed propaganda posters for the fight against Franco. Because of the Civil War, Miró settled in Paris in 1936, but returned to Spain in 1940 and lived there for the rest of his life. It was about this time that he began to achieve international recognition and had a retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941. As well as being represented in every important museum worldwide, he had numerous large public commissions and his works can be seen in public places in many major cities. Always interested in making his work more accessible, he was productive as a printmaker and explored new printmaking techniques into his old age.