The Red Sun, 1948 by Joan Miro

After his great success in America, Miro started a new series of paintings, in which broad brush-strokes are set against finely drawn configurations and spots of colour are shown next to lines - a subtly balanced artistic dualism. The Red Sun, 1948 with its discreetly sonorous surface, from which a bright blue area shines like a window, is one of the most beautiful paintings of that time. Both zones are connected by a glowingly red sphere.

The configuration on the blue ground has been put together very swiftly and is encircled by another red spot to which a few more brush-strokes have been added to make a cheerful little face. The other configuration has been placed in the right-hand corner of the painting from where it seems to be admiring this medley of shapes and colours.