Untitled 1964

Curator: Here we have an Untitled painting by Joan Mitchell, completed in 1964. My first reaction is one of awe. The sheer dynamism and force within this arrangement is palpable. What do you make of it? Editor: It strikes me as turmoil, almost a roiling sea of emotion contained, or perhaps struggling to be contained, within the frame. 1964 was a significant year for civil rights and social change in the US; it's hard not to view the abstract expressionism of the time through that lens. Curator: Absolutely. Thinking formally, the heavy impasto and layered strokes create such a vibrant texture, you can almost feel the energy she channeled into each brushstroke. The dominance of blue, punctuated by stark whites and earthier tones, suggests a turbulent yet hopeful atmosphere. Editor: Hopeful, or perhaps resistant? Consider Mitchell as a woman navigating a male-dominated art world. These aggressive, gestural marks could also signify resistance to those norms, a refusal to be confined by expectations. Curator: I concede that there's an undeniable strength in the composition, the way forms build upon one another, the layers are really impressive. Can we speak on her colourwork? Editor: Precisely. Blue, traditionally linked to melancholy, also symbolises depth and intellect. Mitchell's juxtaposition of intense blues with flecks of white hints at a negotiation between inner reflection and the yearning for clarity amidst societal chaos. The painting is as emotionally resonant as the year it was produced, echoing anxieties about conflict in the modern world. Curator: This reminds me of Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts around “lines of flight.” One can sense, that perhaps what seems contained within this structure can easily explode outside of it! There is movement. Editor: Precisely, movement towards freedom of expression. Curator: I think understanding Abstract Expressionism through intersectional perspectives gives us such fresh access points. Editor: Indeed, thinking critically around form and the social histories from which an artwork emerges are not mutually exclusive. They deeply enrich one another.