Merci 1992

Joan Mitchell made "Merci" with oil on canvas, and the first thing I notice is the way she goes at it, full-on, but also leaves so much space. It's like she's wrestling with something, but also kinda cool about it. The physicality of the paint is really present. You can almost feel her arm moving, see where she loaded the brush and where she let it run dry. Check out the drips at the bottom – they're not just drips, they're part of the statement. The blue on the left feels dense, like a memory, while the orange on the right seems more fleeting, a burst of energy. And that white space? It's not nothing, it's a breathing room, a place for your eye to rest and for your mind to wander. Thinking about other artists, maybe Helen Frankenthaler, but Mitchell’s got a tougher edge, you know? It’s this push and pull, this tough and tender thing, that makes her work so compelling.