A well put together documentary about an important but not very well known artist. More than half the time goes to Mitchell talking about her work, backed up by statements from others (notably Brice Marden and a few of her dealers) who understood and sympathized with the work and the person.
Mitchell is presented as someone who took herself and her work very seriously--probably more seriously than the art establishment or the public. The focus is on her art. Her demons--alcoholism, bouts of cancer--for the most part go unexamined and unmentioned.
Mitchell's work itself overall is tough to like, yet some of the pieces shown in this film are beautiful beyond description. Her vividly colored, wildly eccentric paintings appear throughout. If you're curious about how she came to paint as she did and what she thought she was doing, you probably couldn't do much better than to watch this film. The same may be true if you're simply interested in hearing from an artist who, while not exactly articulate, is good at plain talk.
Mitchell is presented as someone who took herself and her work very seriously--probably more seriously than the art establishment or the public. The focus is on her art. Her demons--alcoholism, bouts of cancer--for the most part go unexamined and unmentioned.
Mitchell's work itself overall is tough to like, yet some of the pieces shown in this film are beautiful beyond description. Her vividly colored, wildly eccentric paintings appear throughout. If you're curious about how she came to paint as she did and what she thought she was doing, you probably couldn't do much better than to watch this film. The same may be true if you're simply interested in hearing from an artist who, while not exactly articulate, is good at plain talk.
