“Diebenkorn, the Berkeley Years” Makes Appearance at DeYoung Museum

Richard Diebenkorn on Beginning a painting [Video]

Richard Diebenkorn’s exhibit made an appearance at San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate park, in September. The exhibit of Diebenkorn’s artwork from his years at Berkeley included some of his best paintings and sketches, making it a particularly captivating look into Diebenkorn’s creative process.

On the gallery wall, a video of Dibenkorn was projected for visitors to see. Diebenkorn answered several questions about his artwork, providing an enlightening portrait of the man and his work. In the video, Diebenkorn talks about his urge to, “violate the canvas,” which made sense because looking at his artwork, you can tell that he let his creative energy run wild in brush strokes, making the canvas evidence of his active imagination.

Diebenkorn also made a comment on the importance of the origins of artists in his video interview. Stating that, “Very often if you go to the locale where an artist works, you’l suddenly know that you’re in this person’s area. If you go to Arles, you feel Van Gogh around you.”

What was also telling about his interview was that he seemed to care such an air of humility, and despite his accolades, he still struggled to create. Like many artists, he realized that it’s hard to capture the momentum necessary to make artwork a success. But despite the difficulties associated with the creative process, he pressed on. Leaving this visitor feeling refreshed by his determination to create.

As I walked around the exhibit, I found myself feeling that this man’s work was quite honest, refined, the swirling colors, reminiscent of Van Gogh, intimated the colorful spirit of Berkeley, Diebenkorn’s muse. I visited Berkeley recently. Taking into consideration what Diebenkorn had said about the artist’s origins, I saw in the multitude of colored leaves and the movements of the people on the streets, Diebenkorn’s world.

The exhibit has moved on, but this doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy his artwork. You can find many of Diebenkorn’s works online. Be sure to check the deYoung Museum website for more great exhibits in the future.