Seated Nude, Charcoal, Richard Diebenkorn, 1966
"What drives some artists to output work with almost rapid abandon, and others who feel driven to continually re-state, re-work or edit their work?"
This is something that I often contend with in the studio, wondering how to strike some balance between bursts of activity and the need to reflect, critically adjust and reshape the output.
So I turned to the work of Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993).
Had I paid more attention during art history lectures, perhaps I would not have overlooked the significance and strength of this American painter’s work. Yet the scope of his work is broad so I’ll consider a few works on paper here.
In considering Diebenkorn’s drawings I felt a strong affinity with his method; they strike a strong chord with me as I struggle to balance creative impulse with the rigour of critical revision. As those who have drawn from life will know, forceful and convincing studies of the human form are rarely as simple as the medium (charcoal in this instance) might suggest – as in the following work (above).You can see and almost feel the vigour of Diebenkorn’s thoughts and hand as they interrogate and study human form. The marks which seem to randomly cut across the surface are sensuous without being sentimental – their primary focus is on the overall sweep, weight, presence and gesture of the human subject – a way of responding to both the subtle and bold rhythms inherent in the body...Paul Ruiz, 2009
