Plate (folio 4) from Il était une petite pie (Once There Was a Little Magpie)

Plate (folio 4) from Il était une petite pie (Once There Was a Little Magpie) is a key component of the rare illustrated book created by the Spanish artist Joan Miró, produced between 1927 and 1928 and formally published in 1928. This specific work is a pochoir, a stencil-based printing technique often utilized for its ability to produce brilliant, flat areas of color and high graphical precision. The publication features eight pochoirs in total, underscoring Miró's increasing engagement with printmaking and the collaborative nature of the Surrealist movement.

The period of 1927–28 marks a crucial phase in Miró’s development, characterized by his intense exploration of biomorphic forms and abstracted, poetic motifs. The illustrated book format was fundamental to the European avant-garde, allowing artists to fuse visual art directly with contemporary literature. While based on a specific text, Miró interprets the subject through his personal visual vocabulary, creating dynamic compositions that emphasize energetic line work and vibrant, floating elements. The directness of the pochoir medium allowed Miró to achieve a clarity of expression consistent with his aim to simplify form during this time.

As an exemplary work classified as an Illustrated Book, the piece highlights Miró's foundational role in modern Spanish art and graphic experimentation. The aesthetic choices employed in the composition, including the minimal palette and emphasis on the interplay between color and white space, exemplify the master’s pioneering approach to non-representational art. This work, alongside the other prints from Il était une petite pie, is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, serving as a vital record of Miró’s influential graphic output from the late 1920s.