14 × 21 in
in
cm
$3,800
In this whimsical and evocative watercolour by Canadian artist Janet Mitchell, a deep magenta background is contrasted with roughly formed floating figures in soft green and white. Titled Hear No Evil, See No Evil, monkey and bird forms dance along the surface of the painting, at once foreboding and playful. The picture looks like it could be a collage of cut-up shapes, however, it is one whole sheet of paper, a testament to Mitchell’s skill and technique of all-over paint application. Bold and lyrical, this watercolour epitomizes Mitchell’s practice as a modernist painter.
| Medium | Works on paper |
| Signature | Signed |
| Frame | Unframed |
| Condition | good |
| Seller | Private |
| Location | Victoria, Canada |
| Provenance | Private Collection, Victoria, Canada. |
Janet Mitchell was born in 1915 in Calgary, Canada and it wasn’t until she was in mid-life that she began her career as an artist. Mitchell studied at the Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary, the Banff School of Fine Arts, and also attended the Emma Lake Workshops in 1960. These workshops were led by American critic Clement Greenberg and the participants included avant-garde American and Canadian painters such as Kenneth Noland and William Perehudoff. Mitchell went to New York in 1950 and subsequently identified with early modern painting by Paul Klee and Marc Chagall and, certainly, her lively watercolours are reminiscent of the latter in their use of fantasy and floating figures. Mitchell is recognized in Calgary and beyond as a prolific and important artist. Her work is held in regional and national collections, including at the National Gallery of Canada and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
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