I was in second grade in Mrs. Huguette’s class the first time I was introduced to him.
The first thing that caught my attention was the vibrancy of the colors contained in all that black; the black outlines. I found it both comforting and provocative at the same time. And I wondered if he was a “real” painter, because everyone can draw these circles and matchmen flying around…
It was really when I was told that he was not only painting but also sculpting and fabricating ceramics that I hung. That what?! You can explore several art forms and exhibit them at the same time? That was new to me. Until now, I knew that an author wrote books; that an illustrator did drawings but a painter did sculpture? Search me why, I didn’t understand, and that was exciting!
That’s only after having done some work on him for a few weeks and to make sure I didn’t embarrass Madame Huguette. We took the subway. Just the light breeze when the train arrived at the platform was enough to give us a taste of urban freedom! Watch out Montreal! Class of Madame Huguette is coming! We want to confirm that it’s possible to be a painter who sculpts!
Stay seated in Indian style, listen to the instructions and follow the guide!
What struck me at the beginning of the visit of this exhibition was the use of all these little symbols, like a language. A language connected to the world of dreams with symbols and flying eyes. He worked a lot, like 10 hours a day. The guide explained that while he was working, he felt like little shocks in his head.
We have admired many of his works and seen photos of his sculptures, confirming that it is possible to explore several mediums, to master them and to express ourselves through them.
I don’t know where this tendency to judge and be afraid of people who have mastered several disciplines comes from. People who are good at many things; especially when they are in different fields. You think, they can’t be that good; it can’t be that good. And very often, we belittle the work of these persons because we compare them with people who practice the same discipline and have done so exclusively for several years. Maybe because since we are small, we are hammered to make a choice. We are asked what we want to do when we grow up. We value our strongest competence to the detriment of others. We take courses in one thing. We choose a program at school. We specialize and one will become the best in a field of expertise. Then when we meet new people, we introduce ourselves and say:
-Hello, my name is Blah, blah, blah, blah…
-Hello Blah, blah, blah, what do you do for a living?
– I’m a teacher.
-Hello Stephanie, what do you do in life?
-Uh … Let it go, it’s long …!
I remember leaving the exhibition with my brain full of colors and the feeling that I had managed to decipher some kind of secret code. A hieroglyph of colors and shapes. He had spoken to my heart this dear Joan Miro. By using several mediums of creations, he showed me how to get out of the frame; that out of frame overflows is the most beautiful. They push us to draw further from the creative flow. I said I love to swim, right? They encourage us to look for other perspectives and open us up to new worlds.
They allow a form of surpassing oneself and an immense pride of accomplishment. Well, yes, all that just by coloring outside the lines …
A few years ago, during a trip to Barcelona, I visited the Joan Miro Foundation. I enjoyed the visit but it seems to me that there were many (too many) school groups …
In the store I bought the painting “La Maternidad”. At that time, I was trying to get pregnant and it didn’t work … I felt a lot of comfort in this painting. An egg, a sperm, a pendulum and two flying babies. Eight years later, that’s it. My babies fly away and then I acquired a certain talent for smearing!
