The Paintings of Joan Mitchell
This catalog accompanies the first solo exhibition of the  paintings of Joan Mitchell (1926-92) in New York City in over 20  years. (The event will be at the Whitney until the end of this  month and then will travel to Birmingham, AL, Forth Worth, TX,  and Washington, DC.) Though considered a foremost abstract  expressionist, Mitchell disliked being affiliated with the  movement and especially objected to being viewed as a woman  artist. Using Mitchell's journals and correspondence, Livingston  (Richard Avedon, etc.) follows the evolution of Mitchell's  painting and discusses her technique, which showed more concern  with color than with the integrity of the medium. Taking a  feminist approach, Linda Nochlin demonstrates that Mitchell's  rage at being viewed as a "feminine other" was transformed into  a positive energy that brought emotional intensity to her  paintings. And Whitney curator Yvette Lee discusses the "Grand  Vall e" series of 16 paintings (1983-84) as some of Mitchell's  most luminous and lyrical. This book compares well with the  first monograph on Mitchell, Judith Bernstock's Joan Mitchell,  which also contains high-quality color reproductions and  scholarly essays. The Bernstock book, however, focuses more on  the artist's paintings in relation to the poetry that she loved.  Recommended for all libraries that collect books on art.Sandra  Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.