The artwork “The Vegetable Garden with Donkey” was created by Joan Miró in 1918. Executed in oil on canvas, its dimensions are 64 x 70 cm. This piece is characterized by the Cubist and Naïve Art (Primitivism) movements and falls under the genre of landscape. It is housed at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden.
“The Vegetable Garden with Donkey” is a vivid rural landscape that demonstrates Joan Miró’s style during his formative years, influenced by Cubism and Primitivism. The artwork features a pastoral scene dominated by a vegetable garden in orderly rows, with flora rendered in a simplified and stylized fashion. At the center of this tranquil setting stands a donkey, depicted with elemental geometric shapes that nonetheless capture the essence of the animal in a recognizable form. The composition is balanced by the presence of a traditional house in the background, offset against a skyline where abstract clouds seem to merge with the otherwise serene landscape. The trees and plants exhibit a whimsical character, each leaf and branch outlined with a playful attention to detail that leans towards the primitive. The colors utilized are earthy and harmonious, grounding the scene in a natural but dreamlike ambience. Overall, the artwork communicates a sense of peaceful coexistence between the man-made garden and the natural world, underscored by Miró’s unique artistic language that would later evolve into his signature style.
