Blond Armpits and Hyacinth Blood

Joan Miró had the honour of my visit this morning at Tate Modern, and very enjoyable it was. HIs best titles were:

Young Girl with Half Brown, Half Red Hair Slipping in the Blood of the Frozen Hyacinths of a Burning Football Field. (1939)

Worthy of Louis Aragon! And

Woman with Blond Armpit Combing her Hair by the Light of the Stars. (1940)

This was very funny. The woman was of course little more than a suggestive outline with nipples and other features, and the blond armpit, a small white blob that I took some time to notice, made me (almost) laugh. There was a moon through a window, a bird, and a scattering of his black disks.

Could have looked at this one much longer, but that went for most of the ones I looked at, which was 11 individual works or sets. That took an hour, enough for me, though I intend to go back and take advantage of my membership for free entry. (I get very good value for my £60 or whatever.) I took notes as I've done a few times now, finding it makes me look better and see more.

If I'm conscientious, before I go back next time I'll look at my notes and try and sketch the paintings from them, then check, as well as looking at some more.

Although he does a big variety of things (and it’s a big exhibition), it felt much more like looking at Kandinsky than looking at Picasso. Or Klee. I wished I’d had a grandchild or two with me -- they’d have enjoyed it.

(The image above wasn't in the show, I think -- found it online from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and I'm sure they'll agree my purpose in purloining it is educational.)