Joan Mitchell Saw Sounds as Colors

How can biology influence artwork? How can an artist create when their senses overlap? These questions framed the life of Joan Mitchell, who you may recognize as the painter of Untitled  and Untitled (It’s Hard to Get This) in Crystal Bridges’ collection.

Mitchell (1925–1992) is widely remembered as one of the most prolific Abstract Expressionist artists. Admired for their fluctuating brushstrokes, which balance liveliness with calculated intentionality, Mitchell’s vibrant artworks earned her considerable success in a time when female artists were overlooked.

Her creative prowess was perhaps best commended by art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who described Mitchell as a “master of many oil‐painting techniques who seems always to be pushing her mastery to the limit, willfully throwing it against ‘impossible’ problems.” Despite this heavy praise, it’d be incorrect to assume that Mitchell’s acclaim solely defined her life. Along with her skills and accomplishments came a unique perception of the world: Joan Mitchell saw sounds as colors.

As first revealed by biographer Patricia Albers in Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter, Mitchell had synesthesia, a neurological condition that occurs when one sense is activated, and another unrelated sense is activated at the same time. In Mitchell’s case, sounds and emotions both registered as certain colors—hope was yellow, depression was white.

Although Mitchell’s traits made her feel misunderstood—like a “stranger in the world” and a “nutcase”—she was determined to overcome the difficulties she experienced as a neurodivergent artist. She later embraced her characteristics as her own “secret magic.”

However, Albers warns against attributing Mitchell’s artistry solely to her condition, as this would “disregard her painterly intelligence, her professionalism, her years of training and work.” Her identity as a person with synesthesia did not singlehandedly pave the way to her eventual renown. Instead, she used her unique perceptions to supplement her long-cultivated talents—her “discipline of sensibility, nerve and sheer skill.”

Years after her death, Mitchell’s story makes a case for welcoming neurodiversity in the art world. She was not defined by her neurodivergence, but instead used it to enhance her artistic identity in a largely neurotypical society. Her distinct perspective and the iconic works born from it inform an inspiring truth: art benefits from having neurodiverse creators.