Berkeley #23 1955

Richard Diebenkorn made this painting, Berkeley #23, with oil on canvas, and when you look at it, you feel he was out to GET something. The earthy palette of ochres, greens, reds, and blues, feels intuitive, almost like the colours were felt, not just seen. I love how he handled the paint, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, allowing areas of canvas to peek through—he really makes the most of its materiality. There is a sweeping diagonal gesture that cuts through the centre. It’s a decisive and energetic mark that communicates a clear sense of intention. He’s saying something, though it's hard to say exactly what. Diebenkorn's work is a constant negotiation between abstraction and representation, and you can see it in the work of so many painters. I find it reassuring to imagine artists like him in conversation with each other. It reminds me that painting is a living, breathing medium that thrives on ambiguity and the exchange of ideas.