Head of a Catalan Peasant: Joan Miró
Miró captures the essence of Catalan Nationalism in this painting housed in the Tate Gallery. This piece was inspired by a Catalan peasant wearing a 'barretina' cap, a symbol of Catalan culture (1). While the shapes in this painting are ambiguous, its reference to Catalan nationality is not. It was painted in 1925 just eleven year before the Spanish Civil, in a time when Catalan language and culture was being suppressed (1) and tensions between the government and the people were high. Head of a Catalan Peasant clearly shows Miró's love and pride for his culture and his determination to protect it from the oppression of the Spanish government. It causes the viewer to contemplate what they hold most dear and the lengths they would go to in order to protect it. It also makes the viewer question the source of their identity, in response to Miró's identity in being Catalan.
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(1) http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/miro-head-of-a-catalan-peasant-t07521/text-summary