2 Quotes & Sayings By Richard Diebenkorn
Born in Oakland, California in 1919, Richard Diebenkorn studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, earning his BFA in 1941. He also studied at the University of Southern California’s Institute of Design. His career began in the late 1930s when he began experimenting with etching and lithography. By the mid-1940s he had designed prints for what would become his best-known series: Ocean Park
This series consists of two dozen etchings (and an additional three lithographs) that depict monumental figures seated by the water, their backs to the viewer; all are titled "Ocean Park." The subjects are men and women wearing fashionable clothing, often emulating the style of the day—on the beach, on a boat, or indeed on a pier. The figures are either solitary or grouped around common objects (arms crossed, legs crossed, flowers in hand), suggesting a playground or stage set. The figures' faces are largely blank; they have no features save for their eyes.
They are not looking at us or anywhere else in particular. The series is characterized by an almost photographic precision in the use of line and color that has led to its being called "the Gettysburg Address of painting."