Title of Artwork: “Ocean Park #54”
Artwork by Richard Diebenkorn
Year Created 1972
Summary of Ocean Park #54
When Diebenkorn set up shop in Santa Monica’s Ocean Park neighbourhood, he may have been inspired by the vista from his studio window. Abstract Expressionism and Ocean Park both depict aerial vistas, but the former are impetuous and intuitive, while the later are coldly drawn and rational.
All About Ocean Park #54
It’s easy to see how Diebenkorn’s abstract vocabulary evolved throughout the course of his career by comparing the two.
Unlike his abstract expressionism of the 1950s, this painting shows a much more geometric and planned approach to his art.
This artwork also demonstrates his admiration for modernism’s tenets, notably for the work of Piet Mondrian.
In this instance, Diebenkorn adhered to Mondrian’s grid foundation while using lighter washes of mostly pastel colours.
As before, he draws inspiration from the natural world, but this time it’s a bright and sunny southern California setting.
Diebenkorn’s 140 Ocean Park paintings, like those of the Impressionists, were inspired by the shifting climatic conditions that he observed.
This painting has an elegance in its composition and colour scheme that can only be achieved by an experienced painter.
Even though it’s made out of clean, rectilinear planes that create a sense of depth, the focus here is on the painting’s creation process, which can be seen in the artist’s numerous scorings and reworkings of the surface.
Information Citations
En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.
