Mitchell, Joan (1926-1992), an American painter, was a major figure in the artistic movement known as Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionists tried to capture the emotions of the artist and the manner in which the art was physically made. Like many Abstract Expressionist paintings, Mitchell’s works seem spontaneous. But they were carefully constructed. She built up layers of pigment to create a network of colors that suggest her intended subject.
Mitchell was born in Chicago on Feb. 21, 1926. Her early experience of the landscape around Lake Michigan became the basis for much of her art. Black, blue, and white often appear in her paintings, and many of her paintings refer to childhood memories of cold and snow. During the early 1950’s, Mitchell was influenced by such Abstract Expressionist artists as Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline. She soon adopted their manner of intense and emotional painting. Mitchell settled in France in 1959. She died on Oct. 30, 1992.
