Making Her Mark

Have you ever had a feeling that was too hard to explain in words? You’re not alone. American artist Joan Mitchell figured out that instead of using words, she could use her paintbrush. “That particular thing I want can’t be verbalized,” she explains. “I’m trying for something more specific than movies of my everyday life: to define a feeling.”

Have you ever had a feeling that was hard to explain with words? American artist Joan Mitchell did too. Instead of using words, she used her paintbrush. Rather than telling stories, she wanted to show her feelings in her artwork.

Mitchell was born in Chicago in 1925. Her mother was a talented poet and an editor of Poetry, a renowned literary journal. This early introduction to poetry stayed with Mitchell. Her artworks are lyrical, meaning they express intense feelings and emotions, much like poetry or music.

Lyric, the 1951 painting above, has a rhythmic composition, featuring shapes in varied sizes and colors. Notice how Mitchell creates a sense of movement with marks that seem to swirl across the canvas. Do the energetic shapes and gestural lines remind you of anything?

Mitchell was born in Chicago in 1925. Her mother was a talented poet. Mitchell’s early experiences with poetry would inspire her later. Her artworks are lyrical. This means they express intense feelings and emotions, much like poetry or music.

For Mitchell’s 1951 painting Lyric, above, she paints shapes in different colors and sizes. Do you see how they burst across the canvas? These energetic marks create a sense of movement and emotion.

Mitchell’s paintings might appear chaotic at first glance, but she thought carefully about her process and made each mark with intention. “The freedom in my work is quite controlled,” she explains. “I don’t close my eyes and hope for the best.”

For example, Mitchell has a plan when she selects colors. Notice how in her 1976 Weeds, above, she layers complementary colors—opposites on the color wheel—orange and blue. Individual brushstrokes create energetic contrast in the diptych—an artwork completed on two panels.

Through Weeds, Mitchell explores ideas about strength and beauty. She once compared herself to a weed. She saw weeds as persistent and strong but only appreciated by and beautiful to some.

At first, Mitchell’s paintings might look unplanned and messy. But she thought carefully about how to make each mark on the canvas. “The freedom in my work is quite controlled,” she says. “I don’t close my eyes and hope for the best.”

Mitchell has a plan when she selects colors. You can see this in her 1976 work Weeds, above. She uses energetic brushstrokes. She layers orange and blue, which are complementary colors, or opposites on the color wheel.

In Weeds, Mitchell explores ideas about strength and beauty. She once compared herself to a weed. She thought weeds were powerful. But only some people think they’re beautiful.

Mitchell also found inspiration in the natural world. In 1959, the artist immigrated to France. And then in 1968, she moved to a property in a small village near Paris. The landscapes at this estate inspired some of Mitchell’s most important works, including her 1969 Sans Neige (Triptych), above.

The artist paints the triptych, an artwork on three panels, using many different types of marks. Some are loose and gestural; some are dense and aggressive with texture. Although the scene is abstract, there is a suggestion of space and depth, and the vibrant colors evoke a garden rich with flowers.

French Impressionist Claude Monet, celebrated for his landscapes, once lived in a cottage on the property where Mitchell lived almost 90 years later. Like Monet, Mitchell experimented with color and light to represent the gardens. But she was more interested in conveying what she felt than what she saw when observing the surrounding landscape. “I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me—and remembered feelings of them, which of course become transformed,” Mitchell explains.

In 1968, Mitchell moved to a small village near Paris, France. The landscapes she saw inspired some of her most important works. One was her 1969 painting Sans Neige (Triptych), above.

Mitchell made some marks in this painting with loose movements. Other marks are close together. The scene is abstract. But the arrangement of marks creates a sense of depth, like you could walk into the scene. The bright colors might remind you of flowers in a garden.

French painter Claude Monet was famous for his landscapes. He once lived in a cottage on the same land Mitchell lived on almost 90 years later. Like Monet, Mitchell used color and light to paint the gardens. But Mitchell shared what she felt rather than what she saw.