Study for Dutch Interior, I

Study for Dutch Interior, I by Joan Miró, executed in 1928, is a highly significant drawing rendered in pencil on paper. This preparatory work served as a conceptual foundation for one of the Catalan artist's celebrated trio of large-scale paintings known collectively as the Dutch Interiors series. Created during a period where Miró actively explored Surrealism, the work exemplifies his systematic engagement with the history of painting, specifically 17th-century Dutch genre scenes.

The Study for Dutch Interior, I is not a direct copy, but rather a radical deconstruction and reorganization of its source material, likely based on reproductions available to the artist. Miró transforms the familiar structure of a traditional interior scene into a dynamic arrangement of floating biomorphic and geometric shapes. The Spanish painter utilizes rapid, assured pencil lines to map out the placement of figures and objects, dissolving the representational space typical of the original Old Master works. This method of reinterpretation, taking visual elements from classical paintings-often accessible to the public as fine art prints or in the public domain-and subjecting them to Cubist and Surrealist reorganization, was central to Miró’s output in 1928.

The drawing reflects the intellectual vibrancy of the European avant-garde, demonstrating Miró’s shift away from earlier, detailed automatism toward the reduced, symbolic vocabulary that would define his mature style. The resulting final oil painting synthesized humor, psychological intensity, and decorative rhythm through its bold colors and amplified forms.

This important preliminary drawing, classified simply as a drawing, provides unique insight into Miró's creative process during a pivotal year and remains a key holding in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).