
Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992). Rosebud, 1977. Oil on canvas, 102 1/2 x 71 inches (260.4 x 180.3 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani, 1982. Conservation funded by grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project (1982:43). © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
© Estate of Joan Mitchell
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© Estate of Joan Mitchell
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Joan Mitchell
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Joan Mitchell
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.




Joan Mitchell
American, 1925-1992
Rosebud, 1977
oil on canvas
support: 102 1/2 x 71 inches (260.35 x 180.34 cm); framed: 104 3/8 x 73 7/16 x 2 1/4 inches (265.11 x 186.53 x 5.72 cm)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani, 1982. Conservation funded by grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.
1982:43
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Provenance
from the artist to Xavier Fourcade, Inc., New York, 1977;Armand J. Castellani, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 1977;
donated by Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, December 23, 1982
Class
Work Type
Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms
Rosebud is an evocation of Joan Mitchell's garden in Vétheuil, France, a haven she lovingly tended. While the broken strokes and use of complementary colors in this painting may call to mind the quick brushwork of Impressionist canvases, it is devoid of representational elements. Unlike her compositions of the 1950s, in which attenuated streaks and thin smudges form centralized images, and her work from the early 1970s, in which solid blocks of color alternate with gestural areas of pigment, this later tableau develops from a lattice-like application of paint. Here, Mitchell demonstrates another step in the evolution of her style, primarily her experimentation with figure/ground relationships. Flickering oranges and pinkish reds dominate the lower central portion and top of the canvas, suggesting perhaps a glimpse of young blossoms as seen among painted slashes of blue-violet and aqua-green foliage. The roughly vertical brushstrokes, punctuated by dabs and drips, are knit into a cohesive network that also creates a feeling of depth. As the artist explained, “The freedom in my work is quite controlled; I don't close my eyes and hope for the best.”
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- Manaò tupapaú (Spirit of the Dead Watching) ,
- Triptych with Footprints ,
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- L'objet invisible (Mains tenant le vide) [Invisible Object (Hands Holding the Void)] ,
- Femme retroussant sa chemise (Woman Lifting Her Chemise) ,
- Portrait de Mlle Rose Caron (Portrait of Rose Caron) ,