Joan Mitchell [Paperback]

Judith E. Bernstock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 1997

Mitchell, a master of color and abstraction, was one of the most respected American artists in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mitchell, a Chicago-born abstract expressionist who mingled with the de Kooning crowd, has lived in France since the 1950s, yet the New York School still claims her as one of their own. Many of her paintings embody her felt responses to trees, water, fields and flowers. Frantic swirls of colors are suspended in equilibrium; powerful, slashing strokes remind one of Franz Kline but are more organic. The later pictures are open and airy, often exploding in colorful calligraphic gestures. Mitchell likens her artistic goal to stopping time, as in a still photograph. In examining the way she achieves her effects, Bernstock, assistant professor of art history at Cornell, shows how the artist drew inspiration for her pictures from poets Wallace Stevens, Frank O'Hara, Rilke, Wordsworth and Baudelaire. Featuring 118 color plates, this monograph complements a traveling exhibition.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

oan Mitchell (February 12, 1925 - October 30, 1992) was a 'Second Generation' Abstract Expressionist painter. Along with Lee Krasner, Grace Hartigan, and Helen Frankenthaler she was one of her era's few female painters to gain critical and public acclaim. Her paintings and editioned prints can be seen in major museums and collections across America and Europe. Nils Ohlsen is director of the Kunsthalle Emden, Germany. He has published on many artists, e.g. Emil Nolde or Per Kirkeby.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Hudson Hills Press (October 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933920822
• ISBN-13: 978-0933920828
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Abstract Expressionism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love modern art, this book is a must!, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Joan Mitchell (Paperback)

I only recently became aware of Joan Mitchell's work through the help of my art teacher and I'm so glad. I don't think you'll be able to find a more informative or complete collection of her work and her background. Her work is intermingled with the biographical information in chronological order in many great and often oversized (fold out) color plates.

This is one for your permanent art collection.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What I wish I had known before I purchased this book., June 20, 2009

By 

MJ O'Connell (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joan Mitchell (Hardcover)

I wish I had known that half of the essays are in German.
I wish I had known that there are only 34 reproductions of her work in the book, and they fall short in quality and richness when compared with the Whitney Museum book on Joan Mitchell.
I wish I had purchased "The Paintings of Joan Mitchell" (published by the Whitney Museum 2002) first.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joan Mitchell (2009), June 9, 2009

By 

S. Zoller "drop acid not bombs" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Joan Mitchell (Hardcover)

Buyers beware: the description provided by Amazon and the review above refer to a 1988 Hudson Hills publication of the same name. This book is totally different.

This is a quality publication, with good essays (in both English and German)and supurb images. All 34 plates are full color, full page, all with crisp resolution, and span from 1950 to 1992. What the book lacks in number of images, it makes up for with some 'rarities' taken from private collections, previously unpublished. This is certainly not even close to a definitive collection of Mitchell's work, but it is a good overview.