Joan Miró

JOAN MIRÓ I FERRÀ (Barcelona, 1893 - Palma de Mallorca, 1983).
"The lighthouse keeper". Series "Characters of the sea", 1981.
Etching in aquatint and carborundum on Maeght paper, copy 4/60.
With certificate of authenticity on the back.
Signed with stamp and numbered in pencil.
Sealed by Sucesión Miró, and signed by Emilio Fernández Miró, grandson of the artist.
Published by order of the Miró Estate in 1990.
The work belongs to the last graphic series of the artist.
Work catalogued in: "Miró engraver. Jacques Dupin", vol.IV, pg 200, figure 1275.
Measurements: 69,5 x 43,5 cm.(print); 96,5 x 70,8 cm.(paper); 116 x 86 cm.(frame).

El guardián del faro belongs to the last great graphic series made by Joan Miró and clearly summarizes the poetic power and formal freedom of his final stage. The central figure, built from a black silhouette with a broad, organic stroke, stands as an archetypal character, halfway between the human and the mythical. The large blue eye acts as the symbolic core of the composition, suggesting vigilance, awareness and connection with the marine environment to which the series alludes.

The contrast between the dominant black and the primary colors -yellow, red, green and blue- introduces a visual rhythm that balances gesture and color. The aquatint and carborundum technique provides a deep, material texture, reinforcing the physical presence of the figure and underscoring Miró's interest in the tactile dimension of printmaking in his later years.

The work does not depict a literal scene, but rather proposes an open symbolic image, where the character functions as the guardian of an interior and cosmic space at the same time. In this final series, Miró achieves an extreme synthesis of form, color and sign, transforming graphic language into an essential, playful and deeply spiritual expression.

The aquatint allows for a richness of lines and glazes, while the carborundum intensifies the physical presence of the stroke, reinforcing the almost sculptural character of the figure. This technical combination is characteristic of Miró's later engravings, where the gesture becomes freer, more essential and experimental. It is, therefore, a piece fully representative of the final Miró, where formal synthesis, material strength and symbolism come together in a powerful and deeply lyrical image.

Joan Miró was trained in Barcelona and made his debut in the Dalmau Galleries. In 1920 he moved to Paris, where he came into contact with Picasso and the Dadaist and Surrealist circles, a decisive context for the consolidation of his own language based on poetry, fantasy and the irrational. His international recognition came soon: in 1928 the MoMA in New York acquired his works and in 1941 dedicated a great retrospective to him, confirming his relevance in modern art.

Throughout his career he received numerous awards and distinctions and was named Doctor Honoris Causa by universities such as Harvard and Barcelona. Considered a key figure of surrealism and 20th century art, his work is part of the collections of major museums around the world, including the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona, the MoMA, the Reina Sofía Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the National Gallery in Washington and the MNAM in Paris.