Joan Mitchell's early work in the 1950s was a period of significant development and exploration for her as an artist, marking her emergence into the New York art scene and the beginnings of her lifelong journey into abstract expressionism. This era was highlighted by her participation in the influential "Ninth Street Show" in 1951, an exhibition that signaled a shift in the art world from Paris to New York as the center of the avant-garde. Mitchell's unique approach to abstract painting distinguished her early on; her works were not merely imitations of her contemporaries like Willem de Kooning or Franz Kline but bore her unmistakable signature. Her gestural brushwork and the poetic tension she achieved between bold and subtle color elements began to define her oeuvre during this time​ (The Art Story)​.

Mitchell's early work was deeply influenced by her time in France, where she became increasingly abstract in her painting style. After returning to the United States in 1949, she settled in New York and became a key figure in the "New York School" of painters and poets, gaining a reputation as a leading young Abstract Expressionist painter. By the mid-1950s, Mitchell was regularly splitting her time between New York and France, a pattern that continued until she settled permanently in France in 1959​ (Joan Mitchell Foundation)​.

The 1950s also marked a time of critical recognition for Mitchell, with her first solo exhibition in New York in 1952 at The New Gallery, followed by regular exhibitions at the Stable Gallery. These shows helped solidify her position in the art world. Despite facing challenges as a woman in a male-dominated field, Mitchell's work received acclaim, leading to her participation in high-profile exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta II in Kassel​ (Wikipedia)​.

Her work during this period, such as "City Landscape" (1955) and "To the Harbormaster" (1957), demonstrates her evolving abstract style, characterized by bright colors, bold shapes, and an emotional depth rooted in her personal experiences and connections to nature and poetry. These early works laid the groundwork for her later, more mature style, which would continue to develop throughout her career​ (DailyArt Magazine)​.

Joan Mitchell's early work in the 1950s encapsulates a critical period of growth and experimentation, laying the foundation for her distinctive approach to abstract expressionism that would earn her a place among the most significant artists of the post-war era.