The New Pond

The New Pond (c. 1907) belongs to the central period of Mir's landscape revolution, when he was working in the Tarragona countryside and developing the intensely chromatic style that set him apart from all his contemporaries. Ponds and water features appear repeatedly in his work because they offered the double visual richness of actual color in the surroundings and reflected color on the water surface — two complementary chromatic systems interacting in a single view. The 'new pond' may refer to an irrigation reservoir or a garden feature at a rural property where Mir was working. Whatever its specific identity, the pond becomes a pretext for an exploration of color relationships and the way sunlight transforms rural Catalan landscape into something approaching pure sensation. The MNAC holds this oil on canvas as part of its strong collection of Mir's landscape work from his most innovative decade.

Paint is applied in dense, interlocking passages distinguishing the pond's reflective surface from surrounding land and vegetation. The water plane is rendered with horizontal strokes of broken color, while vertical vegetation is built with upward impasto marks.