Oui (working proof 4) 1990

Richard Diebenkorn created this working proof, Oui, using etching techniques. Note the presence of geometric forms reminiscent of city grids or architectural plans, a visual language echoing ancient maps. The fragmented circles recall solar symbols found across cultures, from Egyptian sun disks to the mandalas of Tibetan Buddhism. They suggest cycles of time, energy, and renewal, mirroring the human quest for understanding. The overlaying lines evokes the Roman practice of land surveying, and even earlier Babylonian cadastral maps. Such images, ingrained in our collective memory, can be traced through art history. Their recurrence points to a universal need to map, order, and comprehend our environment. Diebenkorn’s abstraction engages us on a subconscious level, revealing the echoes of our ancestors’ endeavors embedded in our minds.