San Diego Museum of Art - La Jolla Cove

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La Jolla Cove

Alfred Richard Mitchell, American, (June 18, 1888–November 9, 1972)

Creation date: ca. 1950

Creation place: United States

Other Information

Type: Oil Painting

Medium and Support: Oil on canvas

Credit Line: Gift of the artist

Accession Number: 1965.26

State/Province: California

Dimensions: 24 in. x 36 in. (60.96 cm x 91.44 cm)

Currently on view

Provenance

Alfred Richard Mitchell, San Diego, California ( - April 13, 1965)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (April 13, 1965 - )

Label Copy

AF
Of Sea and Sand
April, 2021

After earning a silver medal at the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, Mitchell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he won a travel scholarship to England, France and Italy. Returning to San Diego he became a pivotal figure in the local arts community; he was a member of the Contemporary Artists of San Diego, a group that also included Maurice Braun, Arthur Fries, and Charles Reiffel. Mitchell also assisted in the formation of the La Jolla Arts Association in 1918, and was an advocate for arts education and taught at local city and county schools. As President of the San Diego Art Guild (now San Diego Artist’s Guild), Mitchell was a signatory on the documents creating this museum in 1925.
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Alfred Mitchell spent much of his artistic career in San Diego and was a pivotal figure locally. In 1913, he began to formally study painting under the plein air painter Maurice Braun (1877–1941). After Mitchell won a Silver Medal at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, Braun encouraged the budding artist to leave San Diego, if only temporarily, and study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Later, Mitchell became a member of several important San Diego organizations such as the La Jolla Art Association and the San Diego Art Guild. Late works, like La Jolla Cove, with the large shadow cast across the expansive beach and the bulky cliff that forms a surprising barrier on the right side of the composition, demonstrate the artist’s ability to create a more modern composition than many of his California Impressionist predecessors.

San Diego Plein Art Painting, August 13, 2014, Gallery 6
Alfred R. Mitchell
American • 1888–1972
La Jolla Cove
Oil on canvas • c. 1950
Originally from Pennsylvania, Mitchell moved to San Diego with his family in 1908 intending to become an architect. Instead he began to study painting with Maurice Braun, then the leading painter in San Diego. After earning a silver medal at the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, he took Braun’s advice to continue his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he won a travel scholarship to further his studies in Europe. By 1922 he was back in San Diego where he mainly painted landscapes with rich color and modern structure in a variety of locations including La Jolla, Julian and Chula Vista. Mitchell was a popular instructor for more than forty years, teaching both adult evening classes at San Diego High School and many private students.
Gift of the artist 1965.26
Alfred R. Mitchell
Estadounidense • 1888–1972
Caleta de La Jolla
Óleo sobre lienzo • c. 1950
Oriundo de Pennsylvania, Mitchell se mudó a San Diego con su familia en 1908, con la intención de convertirse en arquitecto. No obstante, comenzó a estudiar pintura con Maurice Braun, por entonces, el principal pintor en San Diego. Tras ganar la medalla de plata en la Exposición Panamá-California, en 1915, siguió el consejo de Braun y continuó estudiando en la Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, donde ganó una beca para viajar y profundizar sus estudios en Europa. A su regreso a San Diego en 1922, se dedicó, sobre todo, a pintar paisajes
—con paleta rica en color y estructura moderna— en La Jolla, Julian y Chula Vista, entre otros sitios. Mitchell fue un maestro afamado durante más de cuarenta años; impartió cursos vespertinos para adultos en San Diego High School así como clases para alumnos particulares.
Obsequio del artista 1965.26

Last Updated: 4/13/2021

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

The Golden Land San Diego Museum of Art , 11/22/1986 - 1/18/1987

Picturing Paradise: San Diego in the Eye of the Artist, 1875-1940 San Diego Museum of Art , 10/30/1999 - 1/9/2000

Plein Air Past and Present: A Collaboration Between SDMA and the Lux Art San Diego Museum of Art , 2/2/2008 - 4/27/2008

San Diego Plein Air Painting The San Diego Museum of Art , 8/13/2014 - 00/00/00

Of Sea and Sand: Highlights of California Paintings , 6/26/2021 - 00/00/00

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 94, Figure Number: 43

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 108, no. 43

Ms. Sara E. Bush. Picturing Paradise San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 1999
Page Number: 47

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. American Art Review American Arts Media, Inc.. Leawood, Kansas, December 1999
Page Number: 168, 169, Figure Number: 168

Mr. Martin E. Petersen. Plein Air Painters of California: Wetphal Publishing. Irvine, California, 1982
Page Number: 199, Figure Number: 199

Mr. D. Scott Atkinson. Plein Air Past and Present: Lux Art Institute. Encinitas, California, 2007
Page Number: 32, Figure Number: 11

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This object is a member of the following portfolios:

American Art

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