Flame in Space and Female Nude, 1932 by Joan Miro

Flame in Space and Female Nude, 1932 by Joan Miro
Flame in Space and Female Nude, 1932 by Joan Miro

During the summer of 1932, in Montroig, Miro painted a number of small pictures on wood. They give the impression of being very abstract and use large colourful overlapping areas in which a few sparingly placed symbols enable the viewer to establish a vague relationship between pictures and tides.

The space of the picture, broken up into two-dimensional areas, has been occupied by a single large yellow shape, with a number of smaller, red ones attached to it. The tiny mouth on the left is open, as if giving a scream, and tilted backwards in a dancing movement. A little red flame hovers before the intense green surface. As in other paintings, there seems to be an element of subliminal erotic symbolism that complements the powerful colour scheme.