Edrita Fried 1981

Joan Mitchell made this piece called, *Edrita Fried*, with oil on canvas, and it’s like a symphony of blues and yellows clashing and combining. Right away you see that painting for Mitchell was all about the process, the doing of it, the layering of marks, the push and pull. Up close, the surface is alive with thick strokes of paint. You can almost feel the energy of her hand as she worked, each stroke deliberate yet spontaneous. Look at the way she lets the colors bleed into each other, creating this incredible depth and texture. It’s like she’s not just painting a picture, but creating an experience, an emotional landscape. See that slash of yellow near the bottom? It cuts through the blues like a jolt of electricity, changing the whole vibe. Mitchell reminds me a bit of de Kooning, but with her own distinct voice. Both artists embrace the messiness of painting, valuing ambiguity over easy answers.