Joan Miró’s La masia (1921–1922) As the Great Work*

Abstract

Magical thinking was one of the guiding principles in Joan Miró’s aesthetic and philosophical conception. The elements depicted in La masia can be interpreted through an alchemical lens, with their meanings aligning closely with the imagery and concepts found in alchemical engravings. Many of the figures depicted coincide with alchemical iconography and symbols, including the farmhouse, the philosophical tree, the baptismal font and various animals such as the ass and the cock. Thus, the hermeneutic analysis performed here on La masia explores these parallels and enquires into the meaning of the painting on the basis of the alchemical lexicon.