Interior with View of the Ocean 1957

Editor: This is Richard Diebenkorn's "Interior with View of the Ocean," created in 1957 using oil paint. It feels… both inviting and unsettling at the same time. The juxtaposition of interior and exterior is compelling. What jumps out to you in this piece? Curator: Primarily, the dialogue between flat planes and the suggestion of depth. Diebenkorn constructs a complex surface through interlocking geometric forms, largely rectangles, each carrying a distinct hue. The dark, brooding interior contrasts starkly with the hazy luminescence of the implied ocean view. Consider how the artist uses impasto; observe how the paint itself becomes a tactile element, building a surface that denies any illusionistic depth it simultaneously creates. Editor: I see what you mean. It’s like he's building up the paint to almost block the view. Is there a reason why it might have been named interior first, and view second? Curator: The title orders our perception, focusing on the constructed space as paramount. Note the composition; the architectonic interior dominates, pushing the landscape, despite its brightness, into a secondary role. This prioritization underscores Diebenkorn's concern with formal relationships – how color, shape, and texture interact to create meaning, irrespective of representational accuracy. Ask yourself: is it really "of the ocean"? or of its representation through the window and paintings within it? Editor: So, the ocean is secondary to the experience of the space itself. I suppose that helps highlight the artist's process of abstracting reality. Curator: Precisely. The painting challenges the viewer to decode not just what is depicted, but how the act of depiction shapes our understanding. This layering of spatial planes and perceptual viewpoints offers a sustained engagement with formal aesthetics. Editor: I’ve definitely noticed new elements to consider by looking through this formalist lens. Curator: As have I, revisiting the dialectic between space and surface in this arresting canvas.