Miquel Anguera i Brú, studies at Pontifical Seminary of Tarragona;  Certificate in business studies at Comercio School of  Sabadell (Barcelona). Member of the municipal music band of Mont-roig, member of the prestigious "Schola Cantorum" of the Pontifical Seminary of Tarragona (1962-66); Musical Director and founder of Tuna of Comercio School of Sabadell (1968-1970), the musical group "Botzina"(1969-1971),"Grallers de Mont-roig" (1984) and "D'Un Roig Encès" (1994). Professor of music in Mont-roig (1974-2000), Director of the magazine "Ressò mont-rogenc" (1981-1999), author of numerous musical pieces and poetry, Town Councillor of Mont-roig (1980-1983 / 1999-2003),  Mayor of Mont-roig (2003). At the moment, he is working at the town council culture department in the Foundation "Centre Miró" of  Mont-roig

Joan Miró

Translated from the Spanish by Enrique Carlos Bocking

Everybody believes Joan Miró chose Montroig as one of the places he lived in, but that’s not precisely right. I believe Montroig chose this universal Catalonian, this famous adoptive son of Montroig to take our name throughout the universe, and not only our planet. Otherwise, why did he paint The Constellations? Would somebody deny he had Montroig in mind? And when he painted “La masía”[1], who or what was he thinking about? In fact, his small universe had become one and had mixed with the universe to the point where he was an “attentive absent minded” person as well as an “alert dreamer”. That was Miró!

The people from Montroig suspect there was a conspiracy of the beach, waters, hermitage, stones, carob trees, vineyards, olive trees, almond trees, carts, the winding streets of our village, canes, the serè, colours, smells, ants, pumpkins, and all our people, in order to catch this person who already had to trasmit something special. Our grandparents and parents, as well as all the beings of our Nature (perhaps unknowingly), intensified their wills to captivate him, and they certainly did!

Since then, Joan Miró’s vision surpassed our reality in order to create his world, and our suspicions have been slowly confirmed as we knew he had the magic gift that nature gave him. Some of his statements confirm this: “… to me, a tree is not a tree, something belonging to a plant category, but it’s something human, something that’s alive. A tree is a personality, especially the trees of my country, the carob trees.”

Born in Barcelona on April 20th., 1893, in 1911 he recovers from a fever in Montroig; in 1920, he lives in Paris and during the Summer, he returns to Montroig; in 1929, he marries Pilar Juncosa in Mallorca...

He’s a man from the countryside and this atmosphere goes with him throughout the world. We, from Montroig, know very well that, thanks to his paintings, the name of our town is famous world wide. Miró’s attachment to his people is fully confirmed through what F. Trabal transcribed in La Publicitat.

“I believe I am the closest to Cataluña, among all the paintors in this country, despite the fact that I’ve spent periods away from home. And so do they believe this abroad. No foreign opinion has ever said I belong to any other country. I’ve always been considered a Catalonian, that’s all. You’ll always see my name is ‘Joan,’ unlike other paintors from Barcelona who are away. As for me, I assure you the place where I’m happiest is Cataluña, Montroig, which I believe is more Catalunya.”

“I believe the pure Catalonian is Tarragona. I’m a lot happier in a sweater, drinking out of a wine mug with peasants of Montroig than in Paris among duchesses, in big palaces, and wearing a smoker. All my works are conceived in Montroig, everything I’ve done in Paris was conceived in Montroig, never thinking about Paris, which I hate.”

When you write an article about a paintor whose works are as important as Joan Miró’s, you have all sorts of arguments, there are any amount of publications, catalogues, articles, books, etc.; but we, from Montroig, prefer to speak about personal experiences and feelings.

In 1975 —specifically, the first days of November and in the presence of Joan Miró— the Foundation that carries his name in Barcelona, received from the people of Montroig a carob tree. This fact fully confirms the attachment Miró felt towards Montroig, and this carob tree, born in Montroig and rooted in Barcelona is the unmistakable sign of the mutual faithfulness, love and immortality of Miró and Montroig.

Montroig is a land that welcomed him; a land which didn’t always understand him, but pushed him towards the light of our people to become a universal Catalonian and citizen of Montroig.

Miró always fought against fascism, and for peace, with an extraordinary civic commitment. During the war (1936-1939), he clearly showed his support to the Republican Cause. Because of this, he received the contempt of the government circles of the time, during the dark years of Franco’s regime. And yet, abroad, his fame and recognition were indisputably projected.

Montroig and el Camp de Tarragona aren’t just places that were typical of a period of Miró’s life, or which can be related to a given artistic period of his works, but they also are the indispensable reference to interpret the artistic achievement of this outstanding artist.

The palm tree house (La casa de la Palmera) (1918), People and church of Montroig (Pueblo e iglesia de Mont-roig) (1919), “La masía” (1921-22), Tilled land (Tierra labrada) (1923-24), or The Harlequin’s carnival (El carnaval del Arlequín) (1923-24) are works that are unexplainable without knowing what Montroig meant to Miró. This town was everything to him: strength from the land, essence of the country, source of inspiration, a spiritual place, contact with what’s primitive and a trascendental space. (1)

“To me, a painting must be like sparks... it must have radiation, resembling those stones the herdsmen of the Pyrenees use to light their pipes.” (2)

“Children shall also dream of magical swarms of butterflies, a non-existent carabineers’ box on Pixerota beach, red-winged dragonflies chasing a serpent that slips in spirals towards the comet, a rabbit frantically running through the marquis of Marinao’s land, Baltasar’s pine tree, stories of the ‘morish’ kings climbing the red mountain on horseback; and perhaps some priviliged child, shall see a flaming-winged smile, on the San Juan night, flying amid the ruins of Miramar, or hands flying towards the constellation, emerging from the crevices of Areny. Then, the media the year 2000 will once again speak about ‘Miró’ and Montroig.” (3)

Today, this visionary phrase is correct. The world once again speaks about Montroig, and will continue to do so, also thanks to the great Irish artist, Matt Lamb.

The first time I saw Matt Lamb’s works, in Horta de Sant Joan, I felt automatically surprised by the colours, shapes and strength that arises from them. Without my realizing, I thought of the works of the great Miró.

As a mayor, education is one of my main concerns; that’s why the work Matt Lamb carries out with children through his “Project Umbrella for Peace” greatly impressed me, and has also made me see that, like Miró, Lamb is a simple person, always close to the people.

I’m sure the Irish artist Matt Lamb, of world wide recognition, not only because of his excelent work, but also through his commitment with peace and understanding among the countries, shall find the same force in Montroig which inspired Joan Miró and also, like him, he’ll love Catalunya and its people.

Welcome, Mr. Matt Lamb, we feel proud to have another great artist setting foot on our shores, leaving your footprint, just as the great Jean Miró did before you.

His memory and, above all, his works, have made him immortal.

(1)       Daniel Giralt Miracle, El crit de la terra.

(2)        Joan Miró

(3)        Martí Rom, Ressò Mont-rogenc (extra 1984).