2024-04-23
This remarkable female artist rose to international fame in the male-dominated abstract expressionist circles of postwar New York. Joan Mitchel – an exceptionally stunning female artist, the master of abstractions radiating with life, acclaimed by critics both during her lifetime, and posthumously.
Joan Mitchell, best known for her abstract expressionist paintings, represents the second generation of New York-based Abstract Expressionists who, in their works, emphasized the flatness of the canvas, the bold use of airy colors, and more radiant atmosphere, not always burdened by intense personal dramas, as it was common before. Mitchell's art, while following this established artistic credo, stands out for its original style.
In her works, she coherently combines form with space, using innovative techniques. She often chooses bright colors, applying them with gestural strokes of the brush, which creates the effect of balanced improvisation. Her paintings are, mostly, inspired by the beauty of nature, with its ephemerality meticulously captured on the canvas. You can see that in her landscape abstractions, for instance, “Tilleul” (1978), which almost always treat a subject essentially, extracting its core. Interestingly, she was also inspired by music and literature, especially poetry. One of the paintings that demonstrate this passion is “Ode to Joy,” titled after Frank O’Hara’s poem.
As you are now certainly familiar with at least this one female abstract expressionist artist, who managed to achieve great admiration in the patriarchal art world among her colleagues, you can embark on a further journey in search of her life and work. Keep in mind, though, that she herself did not necessarily want to be referred to as a “woman artist”. Knowing this, we can treat her with high praise, at the same time appreciating her just as an amazing artist, without subjecting her to the stereotypical attributes of the gender with which she identified.