“Oh I am a lonely painter/I live in a box of paints,” Joni Mitchell sings in her 1971 song A Case of You. The great singer-songwriter possesses an artistic soul that extends beyond music. She has called herself “a painter derailed by circumstance” and “a painter who writes songs. My songs are very visual. The words create scenes.”
Mitchell’s own artwork has appeared on the covers of many of her albums, and while the psychedelic whimsy on her 1968 debut Song For A Seagull is very much of its time, it is hard to think of her greatest works – notably Ladies Of The Canyon (1970), Court And Spark (1974) and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975) – without seeing the images Joni created for them. It’s hard too not to see the Ladies… cover as influenced by Jean Cocteau, while Hissing… echoes Henri Rousseau and photographer Wolf Jesco Von Puttkamer.
Mitchell’s affinity for art reaches back to her early years. She began painting at the age of 10, while recovering from polio. As she once remarked, “I wanted to be a painter before I wanted to be a musician.” She even attended Alberta College Of Art In Calgary, but dropped out after a year.
Mitchell’s exploration of colours, line and forms found resonance not only in her own artistic endeavors but also in the works of celebrated painters. Here are some of her favourites.
Vincent van Gogh: Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Van Gogh’s passion-fueled brushstrokes and emotionally charged landscapes resonated deeply with Mitchell,. “Of all the painters I felt most kindred to, I felt most touched by van Gogh,” she has said said. “Van Gogh was impulsive. For him, art was like sex on the kitchen table.”
Mitchell created a version of his 1889 Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear for the cover of her 1994 album Turbulent Indigo. She said, “Van Gogh’s pictures have the life of his struggle in them. They contain his struggle to transcribe the purity of what he sees.”
Of her cover, Mitchell said: “I painted it around, I guess, 1993 … I was very frustrated at that time because the normal outlets for getting your product marketed in my business, those doors had been closed to me, and no one could give me a reason why. So my work was being rejected whereas mediocre work was being accepted and elevated on the basis of newness and youth and, you know, obvious mercantile speculation ran in that direction. So, rather than physically cut my ear off, I did it in effigy. I’m not that stupid.”
Edvard Munch: The Scream
Munch’s iconic painting held a special place in Mitchell’s heart. She has said, “I relate very much to Munch’s ‘The Scream.’ It’s like a representation of a place where music comes from.”
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Luncheon of the Boating Party
Mitchell’s connection to this masterpiece reflected her desire for connection and camaraderie. She revealed, “Renoir’s ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ — that’s the kind of party I want to go to.”
Egon Schiele: Seated Woman with Bent Knee
Schiele’s intimate portrayal of the human form resonated with Mitchell’s sensibilities. She said:, “Schiele’s ‘Seated Woman with Bent Knee’ is a piece of erotica that’s not lewd.”
Other Mitchell favourites include Georgia O’Keeffe – who Joni has said “speaks to me about freedom” and Mark Chagall (“Chagall’s pictures make me dream, that’s what I love about them”). Georges Rouault’s poignant portrayal of human emotion and spirituality resonated with Mitchell’s deep introspection. She mused, “Rouault’s clowns — the ironic laughter and the tears — that’s the way I feel a lot of the time.”
Pablo Picasso remains a hero – although Mitchell has conceded that he often behaved like a monster. Her frequent trips back to rural Canada have been partly inspired by Picasso’s returns home. “Every time he would go back to Spain he would get a new period,” she once said. “That reacquaintance with where you come from seems to spur something on.”
Mitchell’s profound affinity for the visual arts mirrors her own music’s ability to paint emotional landscapes with melodies and lyrics. As Mitchell herself admits, “I love painting, and if I’m not painting, I’m painting in my mind. It’s all I think about.”