Diebenkorn/Matisse

Left: Diebenkorn, Untitled (Ocean Park), 1971
Right: Matisse, View of Notre Dame, 1914

Great news! While researching Richard Deibenkorn for a recent post, I learned that there will be a major exhibit coming soon to both coasts of the US. It will show works of Diebenkorn alongside those of  the great French painter Henri Matisse. Much has been written about the influence of Matisse on Diebenkorn. It will be so exciting to see their work hanging together, and to look for the connections and inspirations running between them!

"Studio: Quai St. Michel"
Henri Matisse, 1916

Diebenkorn first encountered the work of Matisse in the early 1940's, when he was in the military. While stationed at Quantico, Diebenkorn visited the Philips Collection in Washington, D.C., where he saw Maitisse's "Studio, Quai St. Michel" (above). Diebenkorn later said that he was quite stuck by this painting, especially by the sense of space it created. He was also intrigued by the problem of representing both interior and exterior light in the same painting. This inside/outside approach was something that Diebenkorn would return to time and time again. Here's one example:

"Interior with Doorway"
70 3/8 x 59 1/2, Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1962

Diebenkorn studied Matisse throughout his career. I have read that seeing Matisse's  "French Window at Collioure" (below) must have been an epiphany for Diebenkorn. They say that that this Matisse painting was a touchstone for for Diebenkorn's wonderful and extensive series of Ocean Park paintings.  

"French Window at Collioure"
Henri Matisse, 1914

"Ocean Park #79"
Oil on Canvas
Richard Diebenkorn, 1975

The curators of this new exhibit had access to Diebenkorn's own collection of books on Matisse--wouldn't you love to see and touch those? I wonder if he scribbled notes in them, or made sketches. Maybe I will find out, because I really hope to see this exhibit. Mark your calendars: it will be at the Baltimore Museum of Art from October 23, 2016 to January 29, 2017, and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from March 11, 2017 to May 29, 2017.

California Townscapes

"Sonoma Plaza"
9 x 12, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2016

During my recent time in California, I had many opportunities to paint the beautiful rolling hills and vineyards of wine country. But I was also drawn to urban scenes, particularly some street scenes that I saw every day coming to and from my friends' house. I was fortunate to be staying quite close to the historic central plaza in the town of Sonoma. I loved the old Sebastiani Theater building, especially in the late afternoon when it seemed to

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...