Joan Mitchell, a pivotal figure within the Abstract Expressionist movement and an active participant in the New York School of artists and poets during the 1950s, is celebrated for her vibrant, abstract canvases that evoke the natural landscape and emotional intensity. Born in Chicago in 1925, Mitchell's artistic journey led her from the United States to France, where she continued to evolve her practice, engaging deeply with poetry and the medium of pastel (Wikipedia) (Joan Mitchell Foundation).
Mitchell's relationship with pastels intertwined closely with her affinity for poetry. Around 1975, she embarked on an intriguing project that brought together her love for pastels and literature: she created visual interpretations of poems by James Schuyler, a notable poet within the New York School circle. These works, referred to as "poem pastels," feature layers of color in pastel that complement the themes and emotions of Schuyler's poetry, presenting a unique fusion of visual art and literature (SFMOMA).
These pastel works are characterized by their subtle yet powerful conveyance of mood and atmosphere, much like Schuyler's poems, which often explore the nuances of everyday moments and the natural world. Mitchell utilized pastel to layer colors with a gentleness that contrasts with the more vigorous applications seen in her oil paintings. In these pastel pieces, the text of the poems is integrated into the artwork, allowing the visual and verbal elements to enhance and reflect upon each other. This method highlights Mitchell's interest in the expressive possibilities of both mediums and her ability to translate poetic imagery into visual form.
Mitchell's approach to these works was not to illustrate the poems literally but to respond to them emotionally and aesthetically, creating pieces that stand as a dialogue between the poem and her visual language. Her pastels for Schuyler's poems—like "Daylight," for instance—combine typewritten lines of poetry with abstract pastel backgrounds, creating an interplay of text and texture that invites viewers to experience the poems in a new dimension (SFMOMA).
Mitchell's pastel works, therefore, are not just an extension of her painting but a distinct facet of her practice that offers insights into her explorations of color, form, and the intersection between visual art and poetry. Through these works, Mitchell reveals the depth of her engagement with the literary world and her ability to transcend the boundaries between artistic disciplines, showcasing her enduring influence on the visual arts and her unique place within the post-war art world.