Richard Diebenkorn

"Cityscape I"
60 1/4 x 50 1/2, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1963

Travel often leads to new discoveries, was well as to the rekindling of old interests. My recent trip to California was no exception. As a painter, I often seek out areas where the "greats" have painted. I have tracked down the spots that Cezanne painted around Aix-en-Provence, and found it fascinating to see the landscapes that he immortalized. This time, I didn't go to California in quest of an artist's habitat. But while I was there I came across a new book featuring the landscapes and still lifes of Richard Diebenkorn. There I was, right within shouting distance of the places Diebenkorn had lived and painted. The little book seemed like a prod to delve into a deeper study of his work. 

"Interior with Book"
70 x 64, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1959

I have always been attracted to Diebenkorn's paintings. He moved through several distinct phases in his painting career, from Abstract Expressionism, to more representational and figurative work, and back to abstraction. Over the past few weeks, I have been studying his more representational landscapes, such as those pictured in this post. I love them for their clarity of color, for their geometry, for their sense of depth, and perhaps above all for their marvelous simplification. How can he leave out so much, and yet tell so much, at the same time??

"Bridge"
36 x 39 1/4, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1961

I have read that Diebenkorn had a pivotal experience one day when flying in an airplane between Albuquerque and San Francisco. From that vantage point, he saw the fields below as organized patterns of horizontal and vertical grids. We can see how that point of view affected his landscape painting forever after. Diebenkorn used geometry and color relationships to create a sense of vast scale, spacial depth, and wide open spaces in his landscapes. Looking at them, I almost feel like I am standing on a precipice looking out.

"View from the Porch"
70 x 66, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1959

Diebenkorn lived and painted for the vast majority of his life in California, eschewing the popular New York "scene". In fact, many say that his paintings are unique and notable precisely because they portray the luminous light and color of Northern California. In an interview shortly before his death, Dieibenkorn acknowledged this point, but noted that it was not something that he consciously sought. He said, "I arrive at the light only after painting it, not by aiming for it." Spoken like a true artist and seeker. 

"Ocean from a Window"
70 x 64, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1959

Stay tuned for more on Diebenkorn. I hope to write separately about his wonderful still life paintings...