Untitled 1987

Joan Mitchell made this diptych painting with oil on canvas, and it is a riot of colour. The way she’s laid down these strokes, it feels like she’s dancing with the paint, totally immersed in the process. Check out the yellows here, they're not just yellow, they're screaming sunshine, hitting you right in the gut. There's a real physicality to the paint, thick in some spots, almost translucent in others, letting the canvas breathe through. I love how she lets those drips run wild, especially in the lower sections, like the painting is sweating its own truth. Look at the blues and greens, those slashing gestures! They remind me of de Kooning’s gestural brushstrokes, but with a distinctly feminine touch. Mitchell's work is a reminder that painting is a conversation, a back-and-forth, an endless exploration of what it means to see and feel.