Self Portrait, 1937-38, by Joan Miro

The fierce time of Miro's "wild paintings" came to an end with this magic self-portrait. After months of work in front of a mirror and applying the oil very lightly and transparently, the artist managed to capture his face in such a way that it seemed to glow from within, his eyes beaming like stars. Indeed, the entire face is a starry cosmos. Catharsis has begun. The artist's senses and spirit are open to the sensitive, equivocal currents which come from the artist's creative subconscious.

In 1960 Miro had a copy made of this unparalleled artist's portrait, which he then drew over with a broad, sweeping gesture. In both cases it was a sign of a new beginning - the ritual of an artist's continuous struggle for renewal.