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alfred mitchell

(1888 - 1972)

Alfred Mitchell was one of our finest early San Diego painters, along with Charles Reiffel. He was born in York, Pennsylvania in 1888, and moved to San Diego, California, in 1909. In 1913 he became a favorite student of noteworthy California Impressionist artist Maurice Braun at the San Diego Academy of Art.

In 1916 Mitchell traveled back to the state he was born in and continued his education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. While in the East, Mitchell’s palette brightened up considerably, and upon his return to San Diego he distinguished himself as an excellent colorist.

Mitchell's landscapes and coastal scenes are often luminous and feature deft brushwork, vibrant colors in the ocean, and soft, hazy atmospheric effects in the background. He was an influential early Southern California Plein-air painter, and many of his works provide an important visual record of the development of the San Diego area. His simple, peaceful coastal scenes recall a golden era in California at a time when there were few structures present in San Diego or in nearby La Jolla.

Alfred Mitchell often worked “en plein-air”, outdoors, and his paintings were strongly influenced by the style of French Impressionism. They often featured rich, bold colors, close attention to light and atmospheric effects, and loose brushstrokes. French artists had begun to reject traditional academic painting techniques that favored realism. This new style focused on the way the human eye views the world at a quick glance, highlighting the play of light on objects, rather than the portrayal of objects and their “real-world”, detailed, solid surfaces.

Mitchell was a co-founder of the Laguna Beach Art Association, later serving as President of the San Diego Art Guild. He is also remembered as a co-founder of the La Jolla Art Association.

For additional information, visit:

Wikipedia - Alfred R. Mitchell
San Diego Museum of Art “Silent Light” Exhibit
The Legacy of the California Art Club in San Diego
San Diego Historical Society - Memoirs of Alfred R. Mitchell

Public Collections
Irvine Museum
The Laguna Art Museum
San Diego Museum of Art
Reading Public Museum, PA
Fleischer Museum of American Art