This stunning exhibition catalogue celebrates in-depth for the first time Richard Diebenkorn's seminal Ocean Park works, serving as a major reference and a source of new scholarship on the series. As he traversed the worlds of abstract expressionism and figurative painting, Diebenkorn became one of America's most beloved postwar artists. The Ocean Park series, begun in 1967and comprising works in a variety of media, is arguably the most celebrated of his illustrious career. This book features beautifully reproduced works that radiate with color, allowing readers to appreciate the artist's evolving palette as well as his brilliant geometric explorations. The paintings, prints, drawings, and collages that make up the series are examined from diverse perspectives in essays that bring to light new influences and conceptual frameworks that reposition the Ocean Park series, as well as the artist's role in the history of postwar art. The result is a timely re-examination of a major body of work that will excite the numerous fans of this quintessential California artist.
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"[a] luminous book..."
David Coggins, www.huffingtonpost.com, 1/12/12
"Seminal artwork from one of California's best-known artists is gathered here in this beautifully reproduced exhibition catalog."
Los Angeles Times, 12/4/11
David Coggins, www.huffingtonpost.com, 1/12/12
"Seminal artwork from one of California's best-known artists is gathered here in this beautifully reproduced exhibition catalog."
Los Angeles Times, 12/4/11
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This stunning exhibition catalogue celebrates in-depth for the first time Richard Diebenkorn's seminal Ocean Park works, serving as a major reference and a source of new scholarship on the series.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By C McGurk
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a must get for those who love Diebenkorn's Ocean Park paintings. There is just the right amount of text in the beginning, followed by at least 139 fabulous color illustrations of these incredible paintings. The heavy weight paper is what you would expect for a quality art book. What is curious though, is why some painting were not properly enlarged to more adequately fit the page instead of being only postcard-sized. Also surprised that there was no dust jacket, but in all, a fantastic book on the Ocean Park series.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For many followers of the art of Richard Diebenkorn his OCEAN PARK SERIES is the core of the unusual and compelling beauty of his work. It is pure abstraction and despite the fact that his figurative work has grown even more popular in the past decade these paintings (and prints and drawings) are so quintessentially 'Diebenkorn' that it is with great pleasure that we finally have a monograph as fine as this to concentrate solely on this series of paintings. The book RICHARD DIEBENKORN: THE OCEAN PARK SERIES is a catalogue created accompany a traveling exhibition among The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, California, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The exhibition is the most comprehensive show to date of Diebenkorn's most celebrated body of work, the Ocean Park series and was curated by OCMA curator Sarah C. Bancroft. Presenting more than 75 Ocean Park paintings, prints, and drawings-the largest selection ever on view together-this unprecedented project offers the opportunity to explore in-depth the complexity of Diebenkorn's artistic and aesthetic achievements within this series. Works in the exhibition come from prominent museums, institutions, and private collections across the country, many of which have rarely been seen by the public.
Richard Diebenkorn (1922 - 1993) remains one of the leading figures in Bay Area Art. In 1967 he began the Ocean Park Series, a project that would be a focus for the next 20 years: Diebenkorn made no fewer than 145 Ocean Park paintings, including the small cigar-box lids paintings from the mid-to-late 1970s. His works on paper (drawings, collages, and paintings on paper) number nearly 500, and his prints-often overlooked and rarely shown in conjunction with the paintings-represent another significant body of work. This series was inspired by the quality of light in Southern California. As the catalogue states, 'Each work was for Diebenkorn an exploration for "rightness," an attempt to solve complex and often self-imposed compositional and unique problems, welcome mistakes, push through objections and self-doubt to come to a balanced resolution. The compositions were built-up through periods of activity in which erasures, revisions, accretions, and ultimately hard-won resolutions coalesced into nuanced compositions. The artist worked and reworked canvases, scraping and repainting, building up layers and abstract geometric relationships, atmospheric fields and planes, finally arriving at a resolution. Anger, frustration, hesitation, despair, and relief all came to bear on the paintings: a combination of intention, intuition, and improvisation.' The Ocean Park works are a unique combination of environment and abstract invention. As Diebenkorn stated 'I arrive at the light only after painting it, not by aiming for it.'
Not only is this book impressive for it subject matter, but it is also a beautifully designed and reproduced book of these important and in many ways mysterious works. Included in the catalogue are essays by Sarah C. Bancroft, curator at the Orange County Museum of Art; Susan Landauer, an art historian and scholar who is an expert on postwar art in California; and Peter Levitt, a recipient of the Lannan Foundation Award in Poetry, as well as published author of journalism, fiction, and translations. The catalogue also includes a chronology and select bibliography. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 11
Richard Diebenkorn (1922 - 1993) remains one of the leading figures in Bay Area Art. In 1967 he began the Ocean Park Series, a project that would be a focus for the next 20 years: Diebenkorn made no fewer than 145 Ocean Park paintings, including the small cigar-box lids paintings from the mid-to-late 1970s. His works on paper (drawings, collages, and paintings on paper) number nearly 500, and his prints-often overlooked and rarely shown in conjunction with the paintings-represent another significant body of work. This series was inspired by the quality of light in Southern California. As the catalogue states, 'Each work was for Diebenkorn an exploration for "rightness," an attempt to solve complex and often self-imposed compositional and unique problems, welcome mistakes, push through objections and self-doubt to come to a balanced resolution. The compositions were built-up through periods of activity in which erasures, revisions, accretions, and ultimately hard-won resolutions coalesced into nuanced compositions. The artist worked and reworked canvases, scraping and repainting, building up layers and abstract geometric relationships, atmospheric fields and planes, finally arriving at a resolution. Anger, frustration, hesitation, despair, and relief all came to bear on the paintings: a combination of intention, intuition, and improvisation.' The Ocean Park works are a unique combination of environment and abstract invention. As Diebenkorn stated 'I arrive at the light only after painting it, not by aiming for it.'
Not only is this book impressive for it subject matter, but it is also a beautifully designed and reproduced book of these important and in many ways mysterious works. Included in the catalogue are essays by Sarah C. Bancroft, curator at the Orange County Museum of Art; Susan Landauer, an art historian and scholar who is an expert on postwar art in California; and Peter Levitt, a recipient of the Lannan Foundation Award in Poetry, as well as published author of journalism, fiction, and translations. The catalogue also includes a chronology and select bibliography. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 11
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is in my estimation a long time coming. For one thing it features paintings and drawings that do not appear in other Diebenkorn publications. Additionally, it offers rare photographs of the artist in his studio, with family and with works in process. The inclusion of this fresh material, accompanied by a reflective and insightful text present a rounded view of a remarkable man. Taken together works, photos and text equal a richly informative read. This book will have a long life and deservedly so. William J. Havlicek PhD.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Some poor quality plates
I just opened my new book, “Richard Diebenkorn: the Ocean Park Series” and was astonished to find what look like defective reproductions of some of the works. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Montaff
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beauty
This lovely book covers Diebenkorn's most famous series of paintings. Unusually, it doesn't come with a dust jacket. The image on the front is affixed to the binding. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Bob C
5.0 out of 5 stars
great!
I saw the show at the Corcoran in DC and loved it! I knew I needed the catalog, but they were sold out at the Museum. Luckily I found it on here.
Published 3 months ago by gh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of his best work
The color reproductions and descriptions of each piece are clear and beautiful. This book is a treasure that should be on the shelves of every art school.
Published 3 months ago by Pat Cole
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunningly beautiful book
A must for Diebenkorn fans. It is a beautiful and educational book: one for fans to savor and admire or for those looking simply for a coffee table book - it's beautiful.
Published 4 months ago by Kimberly
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful coffee table book
I saw the Diebenkorn exhibit when it was at the Corcoran in DC recently. This is a good review of Diebenkorn's work.
Published 5 months ago by Bruce Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
California Dreamin
The Ocean Park series, like so many other arts with a "Californian" tag, have never gained the same critical notoriety of works by Pollock, Rothko, or de Kooning--all contempories... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Scribbler
5.0 out of 5 stars
essential
an outstanding and authoritative examination of an extended series of robust abstraction with lyrical sensitivities of color and balance. Read more
Published 7 months ago by ahigherauthority
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does his paintings justice
After seeing this book at the library, it was impossible not to buy a copy. The biographical section is interesting and each photograph draws you further into the collection. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bonnie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect
This was a nice addition to my library as I have extensive Diebenkorn holdings. This piece is thorough, and has several images of works that I was not familiar with.
Published 18 months ago by jim thomas
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