Abstract art is truly one of the most controversial and interesting movements in the history of art. Its dissimilarity with any other popular art movement and its unique style truly make it interesting for everybody who wants to understand the tradition of painting. Dutch Interior (III) by Joan Miró is one of the examples of the abstract art movement (Miró). It is a part of a series inspired by Dutch postcards of the 17th century and reinterpreting them. The third picture in this sequence was made in 1928 in oil on canvas. The original postcard portrayed a woman taking a bath, but Miro’s work does not look similar to the original at all. It shows some chaotic images that do not constitute one logical composition.
It takes time to understand that there is a woman at the center of the composition. Her body is very deformed, and she has a red dress, a black hat, and dark hands. Her body parts are completely unrealistic and look like the simplest geographical figures, something that a child would draw. There is a blue square in the upper-left corner of the image, which could represent a window. In the lower-left part, there are two small dark-brown figures that look like her shoes. Another drawing attention point in the picture, beside the woman, is a blue arrow and a small goat in the upper-right corner of the picture that has absolutely no reason to be there at all. They stand out against the background because they are white-colored, while the whole picture is yellow. This color symbolizes joyfulness; therefore, we can suggest that this woman is happy, and, perhaps, the arrow symbolizes that she fell in love, and her dress may support this point of view.
For me, Dutch Interior (III) is one of the most interesting paintings in the abstract movement. I do not think it is one of the most popular works in the genre; however, I love it very much. I appreciate its chaotic and jagged composition and surreal color contrast. Despite its absolute oddness and lack of a concrete plot, I like it for its energy and tone.
Reference
Miró, Joan. Dutch Interior (III). 1928, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.