Nude with Mirror, 1919 by Joan Miro

The starkness of Miro's Nude with Mirror is achieved by a combination of geometrical structures derived from Cubism, and the artist's hyper-realistic perception of everyday objects. This can be seen particularly clearly in the detailed precision of the fringe with which the stool has been decorated. Furthermore, there is a marked contrast between the artist's love of decorative elements, his desire to be true to the object and his creative urge. The gracefulness of the embroidered butterfly on the stool, painstakingly executed, far surpasses that of the seated woman with her angular protuberances, even though her head does somehow seem to express mysterious tranquility and introspection.