28. 28AR JOAN MIRÓ (1893-1983) The Writer (Green), 1969 (Maeght, 547) Colour lithograph printed on canvas applied to Chiffon de Mandeure wove paper Studio proof signed and annotated (outside the edition of 75) Printed and published by Maeght, Paris 88 x 63 cm Provenance Former collection of Mr René Le Moigne, Chromiste lithographe responsible for the Atelier Maeght until 1982, and for the Atelier Lelong until its closure in 1988 Then by descent Miró, always in search of effects of matter and vibration, had been particularly enthusiastic about the idea of printing on canvas mounted on paper, a rarity in lithography, allowing the work to gain in texture and physicality - almost like a painting. It was René Le Moigne, a connoisseur of materials, who suggested this unusual medium in response to Miró's desire to amplify the 'presence' of his biomorphic forms and vibrant colours. Miró, known for his almost choreographic approach to the artistic gesture, would sometimes spend long minutes silently looking at a single proof, leaving the master printers in tense anticipation. In his broken French, tinged with Catalan, he would say: "Colour must speak before me".