English translation: between form(s) and empty space
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French to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / Miró print
French term or phrase:entre pleins et vide
Short description of a work by Joan Miró in a university museum's 'estampes' collection.
'Le Village d'oiseaux' montre les jeux de formes que Miró aime mettre en place. **Entre pleins et vide**, entre les couleurs et le noir profond un monde onirique qui lui est propre nous est révélé.
Currently have 'With its blocked-in figures contrasting with empty spaces' (with 'image' or 'print' being the subject of the sentence) but I'm not sure I'm on the right track with 'blocked-in figures'.
Explanation: You could use 'fields' though without 'of colour' that sounds a little strange. Or 'between saturated colour fields and empty space', but that could be slightly overtranslating. Basically it is the fullness of the object rendered that is indicated here.
Miro's vast fields of color also introduced the idea of "empty" space being as valuable as occupied space in painting. Here is a 1958 Miro quote from Twentieth-Century Artists on Art: "The spectacle of the sky overwhelms me. I'm overwhelmed when I see, in an immense sky, the crescent of the moon, or the sun. There, in my pictures, tiny forms in huge empty spaces. Empty spaces, empty horizons, empty plains - everything which is bare has always greatly impressed me." His characteristic biomorphic form was also influential in 20th century abstraction, with Alexander Calder and others. Miro had a unique place between Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, influencing the New York School of painters in the 1940's and '50's. http://www.ndoylefineart.com/miro.html
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When discussing the concept of space within his work, Miro once stated, “an empty space, an empty horizon, an empty plain, something laid bare that has always moved me very much. In my pictures what counts is the empty space peopled by something tiny; it gives me the feeling of immensity.” https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artist/joan-miro/graphics...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 13 mins (2016-12-04 12:44:45 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another alternative: 'between solid (forms) and empty space'
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 29 mins (2016-12-04 13:00:36 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
The last suggestion should read: 'between solids and empty space', 'solids' meaning 'forms'.
I think, all in all, I would go with 'saturated colour fields and empty space', if allowed, or 'form and empty space', if not.
I liked your "saturated colour fields" but with "colours" in the next phrase, it becomes a bit repetitive. Thanks to everyone for a useful discussion! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
If people are going to read this with the work in front of them, then "solid forms" could be used with no possible risk of misunderstanding, since it will be obvious that it can't refer to objects or three-dimensional accretions. But I quite understand that you'd rather not, Helen, and why not.
I should perhaps have pointed out that this seems to be info that will be on display next to the print. And that the target audience is museum visitors of all ages, generally not art specialists.
The last set of quotations you provide make the point that he is exploring the relationship between 'solid forms' and 'empty space'. However, when actually describing what he does in paint, I believe avoiding using the term 'solid form' for something 2-dimensional is really important. I guess I am trained to describe things very precisely. I won't say more, and will leave it to MoiraB now.
I do take your point. I suppose I was assuming that potential readers would know that Miró didn't do that, but perhaps it shouldn't be assumed. I'd be happy with "solids", particularly since "forms" has already occurred in the previous sentence. But I do think the sense of colour saturation in "pleins" is important and should be reflected, and "forms" alone doesn't do the job.
"Miró carefully spaced these elements with respect to each other and to the blank page. The relationships between the solid forms and voids provided the inspiration for the related paintings." https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/miro/flas... (This wouldn't open; I got it from the Google cache)
I suppose you could even say "solid shapes". Sotheby's again:
"Deceptively childlike in execution, the composition exhibits a sophisticated ambiguity in elements with multiple readings. It is composed of a brightly coloured red dot and yellow and green flame-like forms, these solid shapes contrasted with the thin, freely meandering black lines and a white-headed creature set against the earthly-coloured bare canvas." http://www.sothebys.com/fr/auctions/ecatalogue/2007/impressi...
I do think there is a problem. Many of his contemporaries applied objects of varying kinds to their paintings, to further break the boundaries between painting and sculpture. To me 'solid form' suggests an object. As an art historian, if I were reading such a description, I would be inclined to check to see if that were the case. Miró himself talks about forms in empty space. That should be fine on its own. If one wants to describe those forms then 'saturated colour fields' demonstrates that they are fully filled in with colour, not striated or otherwise coloured.
I see what you mean, though personally I would use "solid forms" here. I don't think it would be potentially ambiguous in practice; there's no real risk of it being understood to mean objects in this context; at least, if such a risk exists, it could also apply to "solids". To me the word "solid" hits the mark and "forms" alone is not enough. I'm thinking here of the architectural meaning of "pleins" as "les parties solides, continues". Miró typically puts solid blobs of unnuanced colour on a more or less uniform, empty background.
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Answers
10 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +5
between form(s) and empty space
Explanation: You could use 'fields' though without 'of colour' that sounds a little strange. Or 'between saturated colour fields and empty space', but that could be slightly overtranslating. Basically it is the fullness of the object rendered that is indicated here.
Miro's vast fields of color also introduced the idea of "empty" space being as valuable as occupied space in painting. Here is a 1958 Miro quote from Twentieth-Century Artists on Art: "The spectacle of the sky overwhelms me. I'm overwhelmed when I see, in an immense sky, the crescent of the moon, or the sun. There, in my pictures, tiny forms in huge empty spaces. Empty spaces, empty horizons, empty plains - everything which is bare has always greatly impressed me." His characteristic biomorphic form was also influential in 20th century abstraction, with Alexander Calder and others. Miro had a unique place between Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, influencing the New York School of painters in the 1940's and '50's. http://www.ndoylefineart.com/miro.html
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 mins (2016-12-04 12:43:18 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
When discussing the concept of space within his work, Miro once stated, “an empty space, an empty horizon, an empty plain, something laid bare that has always moved me very much. In my pictures what counts is the empty space peopled by something tiny; it gives me the feeling of immensity.” https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artist/joan-miro/graphics...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 13 mins (2016-12-04 12:44:45 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another alternative: 'between solid (forms) and empty space'
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 29 mins (2016-12-04 13:00:36 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
The last suggestion should read: 'between solids and empty space', 'solids' meaning 'forms'.
I think, all in all, I would go with 'saturated colour fields and empty space', if allowed, or 'form and empty space', if not.
peer agreement (net): +5