Joan Mitchell in Another Dimension

Patricia Albers | Phillips | 7th November 2020

From Joan Mitchell’s biographer, an appreciation of two paintings. The first, from 1953, is a restrained construction of some remembered image. A second work, from 1979, is more exuberant, probably a garden scene. Mitchell had no time for the frenzied painting style of some Abstract Expressionists. She worked with great deliberation to harmonise assertive brushwork and vibrant colours. She emphasised “I don’t close my eyes and hope for the best.”