At an age when most artists are still finding their footing, the Spanish artist Joan Miro (1893 – 1983) already had the talent, imagination and wit that would assure him a place as a master of modern abstract art. In Paris, where his studio was, he wrote to a friend in 1923, when he was just 30: “We must explore all the golden sparks of our soul.”  By that time, he was already sparkling like a star in the artistic firmament. And when Picasso visited his studio, he pronounced on the young Miro: “After me, you are the one who is opening a new door.” And so he did. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Miro created an astounding body of work, including some of the world’s most iconic Surrealistic paintings.

So, what is like to paint like a Miro? Thomas Bouchard, a photographer, decided to find out – by filming the artist in the act of creation. The year was 1947. The result is Around and About Joan Miro (1955), a delightful documentary portrait of the great Spanish artist in his milieu. What is exception about the film is an eight-minute sequence of Miro painting a picture that until recently, was unknown to the world. With great sensitivity, Bouchard captured the rhythm of the artist as he painted a pair of colourful biomorphs with a graceful free hand, bringing the painter to life even as Miro brings to life a sublime work of art.

Watch the footage here: