Berkeley #54 1955

Editor: We're looking at Richard Diebenkorn's "Berkeley #54" from 1955, an oil painting with large blocks of muted colours. It evokes a very serene, almost melancholic mood for me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a dialogue between abstraction and landscape. But let’s consider the socio-political landscape of the time. The mid-1950s were a period of intense Cold War anxieties, conformity, and yet burgeoning social change. How do you think Diebenkorn's abstraction might respond to or resist these pressures? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn’t considered it as resistance, more like an escape. The abstraction, the non-representational form, seems to be a deliberate move away from direct engagement with social issues. Curator: Perhaps, but escape can also be a form of critique. Think about Clement Greenberg's championing of abstraction as a move toward artistic autonomy. However, artists like Diebenkorn were simultaneously engaging with the Bay Area figurative movement. Could this be a negotiation between formalist concerns and the social reality he inhabited? Editor: So, instead of choosing one or the other, he blends them? I can see how the colors, which feel grounded, could represent the landscape of Berkeley. Curator: Exactly. And consider the title – "Berkeley #54." This places the work within a specific geographical and social context. What does it mean to abstract a place during a time of social and political tension? Editor: It makes me think about the search for identity and place during a period of great change. It’s more than just a pretty picture; it's a reflection on society! Curator: Indeed. And hopefully, by viewing this painting through an intersectional lens, you are empowered to see new possibilities. Editor: Definitely, I feel like I understand the artwork, and the period in general, much better now! Thanks!