'' The Tilled Field'' (French: ''La terre labourée''; Catalan: ''Terra llaurada'') is a 1923–1924 oil-on-canvas painting by Catalan painter

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

, depicting a stylized view of his family's farm at Mont-roig del Camp in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. The painting shows the development from Miró's earlier works, such as '' The Farm'', and is considered to be one of his first

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

works, created around the same time as the more abstracted ''Catalan Landscape (The Hunter)''. It is held by the

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Analysis

''The Tilled Field'' is dominated by muted tones of yellow and brown. The painting is divided into three areas by two horizontal lines, perhaps representing the sky, sea and earth. A diagonal line seems to put the top right corner of the painting in the dark of night, while the rest is in the light of day. The painting is littered with a confused mixture of forms, many with aspects of humans, animals, and plants. The various animal forms are derived from Catalan ceramics, including a lizard wearing a conical hat. A tree to the right of the centre has a large eye in its green crown and a human ear on its brown trunk. Hanging from the tree is a shape covered with more eyes, possibly a

pinecone A conifer cone (in formal botanical usage: strobilus, plural strobili) is a seed-bearing organ on gymnosperm plants. It is usually woody, ovoid to globular, including scales and bracts arranged around a central axis, especially in conifers an ...

, or perhaps a leaf or a spider; at the base of the tree is a folded newspaper with the French word ''jour'' (day). Further right, in the background, is a human figure following a cattle-drawn plough, based on the Altamira cave paintings. Also in the background, towards the centre, is a ramshackle house with a chimney, and further left a tree-like object bearing the flags of France, Spain and Catalonia. Another plant-like object to the left bears a further flag, possibly French, perhaps symbolizing the border between France (left) and Spain (right)

References

''The Tilled Field'' (''La terre labourée'')
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
''Joan Miró: 1893-1983''
Janis Mink,

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...

, 2000, , pp. 37–39.
''Companion to Spanish Surrealism''
Robert Havard, Tamesis Books, 2004, , pp. 33–34. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tilled Field, The 1924 paintings Paintings by Joan Miró Surrealist paintings Farming in art Chickens in art Cattle in art Lizards in art Flags in art Paintings in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Rabbits and hares in art