Daphnis and Chloé

The Paris publisher Tériade commissioned Miró to produce this drypoint as a benefit for the influential surrealist periodical Minotaure. His first major print, it depicts a scene from the ancient Greek legend of Daphnis and Chloe, the only known work of the 2nd-century writer Longus. The romantic tale follows the exploits of the protagonists Daphnis, a goat herder, flutist, and inventor of pastoral poetry, and Chloe, a young shepherdess. The pair, who grew up together as children, falls in love and after a series of adventures, marries and lives happily together in the countryside. Miró distorts form and space in this surrealist inspired interpretation of the legend, creating a dreamlike landscape that taps into the realm of the unconscious.