Untitled 1987

Joan Mitchell made this painting, with generous brushstrokes of yellow, blue, and green, probably in her studio in Vétheuil, France. I imagine she was completely immersed in the act of painting, maybe she was stepping back and squinting, analyzing each stroke, and deciding where to apply the next color. Looking at Mitchell’s painting, I feel a sense of kinship. You can see the energy in her brushstrokes. Thick daubs of paint create texture, while drips and splatters reveal the physical process of painting itself. The colors are so intense! She must have been feeling something big when she made it, maybe she was trying to translate something. The way she layered the colors makes me think of de Kooning. It’s like they're having a conversation about how to make a painting. I guess artists always talk to one another through their work, finding inspiration in the gestures of those who came before. Each painting becomes a record of that exchange.