Mitchell, Alfred (1888-1972)

El Cajon Mountain is one of Mitchell’s most iconic San Diego compositions.

Mitchell captures the late afternoon sun spilling over the farmland of the El Cajon Valley (c1921).

Alfred Richard Mitchell, born in York, Pennsylvania, was a painter of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism who settled in San Diego in 1908. He was an adventurous young man who travelled to Nevada during the Gold Rush and later studied at the San Diego Academy of Art in Southern California. His San Diego mentor, renowned early California impressionist Maurice Braun, suggested he further his art studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Mitchell studied there with New Hope Impressionists Daniel Garber and Edward Redfield. Mitchell’s style shifted from Braun’s ‘feminine’ Impressionism to the Pennsylvania school’s bolder brushwork, clear southern California light, and strong color. He returned to San Diego in the early 1920s and became a major influence in the art community. He formed the Associated Artists of San Diego in 1929, later changing its name to Contemporary Artists of San Diego. Mitchell’s art is categorized more as Post-Impressionistic due to its strong color and emotional undertones.