Joan Mitchell, Retrospectives, & Supercooling- Nancy Hillis MD & Bruce Sawhill, PhD
Joan Mitchell, Retrospectives & Supercooling
Earlier this week, Nancy and Bruce joined two dear friends, Vera and George Tchikovani, and went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to see a retrospective on the abstract artist Joan Mitchell. (1925-1992)
It was a tremendous exhibition, covering five decades of her artistic life, about 80 paintings, many of them monumental in scale.
San Francisco Museum of modern Art (SFMOMA)
It has become so difficult to lend art from museum to museum, let alone from country to country, that it seems like retrospectives have shrunk over the years. More expensive, more crowded, and less art.
This was an exception to that trend. Normally one finishes viewing a retrospective just when one is getting into the rhythm and ends up unfulfilled and wanting more.
This one was thorough, occupying a dozen generously scaled rooms. We were saturated and satisfied just at the time it ended, with a last delicate diptych evoking sunflowers.
Joan Mitchell | Untitled, Oil on canvas, 110.25″ x 142″
Joan Mitchell | Untitled, Oil on canvas, 110.25″ x 142″, 1992
Untitled from 1992 is one of Joan Mitchell’s last paintings. It evoked a sense of elegant and weightless simplicity- a satisfying ending to the retrospective.
As we proceeded to lunch in the museum cafe, we saw images of Mitchell’s studio. We were particularly intrigued with her wall of exploratory studies. They looked like maquettes, playing with possibilities of the division of space for future compositions.
Joan Mitchell Studio with exploratory studies on the wall
After seeing the photograph of Mitchell’s studio, a display case revealed brushes, palette knives, paints, turpentine, and paint cans the artist used.
Paint brushes & paint
Long-handled brushes, graphite markers, crayons, and pastels were seen in the display case as well.
Long-handled brushes, pencils, markers, crayons, and pastels
Joan Mitchell’s Sketchbooks, 1967-68
The Idea Of A Retrospective
The idea of a retrospective can be applied beyond the usual subject matter of famous artists who are no longer with us.
In fact, it can be a good idea to put on a retrospective of yourself. Imagine you are a curator of a museum and you want to depict the artistic trajectory of your chosen artist (you) as accurately as possible.
You would choose pieces from many different times in the artist’s life, perhaps samplings from multiple series or themes. You would attempt to arrange them in such a way as to tell a story to a potential museum visitor.
If you do this, even on your computer screen with a group of thumbnail photos serving as your museum wall, it can generate insight.
You can view what you were creating two or ten or thirty years ago and think, “I’ve come a long way” or perhaps, “What was I thinking?”
Below, we explore the first works in the Joan Mitchell Retrospective and are amazed by the rapid transformation in her art.
Creative Transformation
We have often written about the phenomenon of creative transformation and how it is related to the physical phenomenon of phase transitions—sudden transformations in the form of matter such as water to ice, even though it remains H2O.
We have repeatedly argued that this phenomenon of phase transition is not solely a property of physical systems, but can be associated with more abstract systems as well.
The 10,000 Hours & Deliberate Practice
Anders Ericsson’s research helped establish a concept called the 10,000 hours rule, which was later popularized in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. The idea of “ten thousand hours” is to become deeply proficient at something by working hard at it for hours and hours.
Ericsson made the distinction of something called deliberate practice- that the quality of the hours of practice matters, as does the quality of the teaching. The results of the ten thousand hours generally don’t show up gradually, with 10% of the results after 10% of the work, 20% after 20% and so on.
Rather, it feels more like endless thankless toiling in obscurity, followed by a sudden flash of light, of discovery, of confidence. This is because the “knitting together” of ability and meaning and expression is not linear- it tends to be sudden.
Once in a while, it takes the act of pausing and contemplating to realize that a transformation has occurred.
I think of old Saturday morning cartoons where the coyote (always chasing the rabbit) runs off the edge of a cliff but does not fall until he looks down and realizes that he can fall. The gravity of cartoon physics has been held in abeyance by the existence of consciousness.
Phase Transitions & Supercooling
There is a remarkable physical phenomenon that is reminiscent of this. It does not involve consciousness, but it does involve a triggering event.
We have said that physical phase transitions occur at a very specific and precise set of external parameters, such as temperature, pressure, etc. Now we’re going to tell you that there is an asterisk after that claim.
Some systems that are liquid can display “supercooling.” This means that a liquid can be cooled below its freezing point without solidifying. That is because the crystallization has to start somewhere (zero to one!), and if the liquid is very pure and there are no outside effects like dust particles or temperature probes, the liquid keeps getting colder without freezing, at least to a point.
Supercooled water freezing on contact (Jordi Roca photo)
For water, this point is -48 deg. C. Cold ice indeed! This generally does not occur for large bodies of water like lakes and rivers, but more typically in controlled environments like carefully cooled clean containers of purified water.
The author Kurt Vonnegut based his 1963 novel, Cat’s Cradle, on the possibility of a new phase of water that was solid at room temperature, but up until the events described in the novel had only existed in a lab, the famous “ice-nine.” For reasons too complex to explain here, ice-nine is not even theoretically possible.
Art & Retrospectives
What does this have to do with art and retrospectives? Like supercooled water or the cartoon coyote not looking down, a point of crystallization or flash of awareness is required to bring the system to its proper and robust state.
Your creativity may have evolved through a phase transition, but you’ve been so busy getting there you may not have realized it!
This is why you might schedule a “self-retrospective” show occasionally. No tickets, reservations, or masks required.
With gratitude from our studio to yours,
Nancy & Bruce
If you enjoy this blog, you’ll love our latest book, The Adjacent Possible.
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Thankyou. Even browsing through our own sketchbooks in some kind of historical order can indeed be illuminating. Thankyou again Nancy for sharing your visit and your thoughts. I had considered Joan Mitchell … above my head .. too abstract and messy for me .. but I am evolving and changing, and my perspectives have shifted. To see those works in the flesh would have been a privilege.
Thank you for posting the video and very informative blog Nancy. I’d not get the chance to see the show as restrictions on travel from Canada are just too much to handle for me right now. I very much enjoy your emails, blogs and course I took through Art Bundle for good.
Ah…thank you Margaret!
Oh Nancy and Bruce! I’ve been longing to see the Joan Mitchell exhibition so this was great to read! Just extraordinary paintings. I know the Art Institute’s “Landscape of a City” really well because it is here in Chicago. All her paintings are stunning and the development of how she got to her own style in the midst of abstract expressionism is so interesting! I love your photos! And she painted with a Big Mama sash brush just like you, Nancy! 😉
I’m hoping to see the exhibition either in SFMOMA or at Baltimore where it goes after S.F. (though ten paintings will not be travelling so seeing it in SF is the best!).
Loved this post! I REALLY love the idea of a “self-retrospective!” Thinking about this for my own work in the coming months/year!
Thank you both!
Hi Kathryn,
Oh yes, you will love the exhibit! I can’t wait to see your “self-retrospective”!
Big hugs,
Nancy and Bruce
So exciting to have this taste of that great exhibit. Thank you!
Thanks Ann!
Nancy, thank you so much for sharing this very interesting retrospective of an artist I will continue to learn about. Wish I could see it in person …very generous of you!
Ps, still wandering about the rabbit ?
Thank you so much for this story, allowing us to dip our toes in the water of Joan Mitchell.
Your observations were invaluable, and Bruce, thank your the physics of supercooled liquids. I think you are on ice nine though. Maybe not possible in our multiversal locale. Or its waiting for the 1.
Another fascinating blog with interesting insights. Unfortunately I cannot see the Retrospective….but I have the wonderful book and it is a feast and treasure.
Nancy-I do envy you (and company) your trip to see Joan Mitchell’s work in person. She has a special place in my heart for her exceptional explorations in art throughout her life. Her paintings gave me the courage to make the jump ( which had been actuating for a while) into abstraction. I’ve been painting,discovering, experimenting, exploring the unknown since. And researching reading anything relevant I can get my hands on.
Thank you ever so much for these blogs,workshops,advice and encouragement. It means a great deal to me that there are people out there such as yourself able and willing to give their time and expertise to artists such as myself. Yours sincerely-
Janet Wallace
Yes. This was quite the comprehensive show. I saw it a few weeks ago. It was massively both inspiring and overwhelming. I was intrigued and pleased at the comprehensive design including writing, photos and related works. I saw a reference to one of my New York painting teachers—also connections to the San Francisco art and writing community. Yes, that last grand painting was my favorite. Bravo to the curators of this exhibit!
It sure was fabulous and comprehensive, Smithy. We lingered in that last room in front of that glorious painting. Yes, bravo to the curators. It was a gorgeous, scrumptious exhibit. I’m now poring over my photos and videos and the book from the retrospective.
Joan Mitchell is one of my favorite artists in abstract painting. Thanks for sharing Nancy.
Yes! I love her too, Lia. You’re welcome. Thank you for being here. Warmly, Nancy
Thanks so much for your generous sharing of JM retrospective and your refelctions.
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You’re welcome Julie! It was so lovely! More reflections to come! Warmly, Nancy
I’m dying to see that exhibit! I thought Vera might be with you. I would love to be there with you!
Sue White
An Adjacent Possible
I would love to see this exhibit with you, Sue! Yes! Vera!
Love,
Nancy