When I am halfway there with a painting, it can occasionally be thrilling... But it happens very rarely; usually it's agony... I go to great pains to mask the agony. But the struggle is there. It's the invisible enemy.
Richard DiebenkornRead
I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few arbitrary marks on it that start me on some sort of dialogue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the spontaneous and exploratory nature of the artistic process rather than a predetermined message.
Richard Diebenkorn emphasizes that the essence of his artistic creation begins with a lack of preconception, focusing instead on the dialogue that unfolds on the canvas as he makes initial marks. This approach suggests that the true depth of art emerges through exploration and interaction with the medium, rather than aiming to convey a specific statement from the outset.
Themes
ArtCreativityDialogueExplorationExpression
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on modern art, you could use this quote to illustrate the concept of artistic exploration.
More from Richard Diebenkorn
All quotes →In a successful painting everything is integral - all the parts belong to the whole. If you remove an aspect or element you are removing its wholeness.
Richard DiebenkornRead
I want a painting to be difficult to do. The more obstacles, obstructions, problems - if they don't overwhelm - the better. I would like to feel that I am involved at any stage of the painting with all its moments, not just this 'now' moment where a superficial grace is so available.
Richard DiebenkornRead
All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression. To call this expression abstract seems to me often to confuse the issue. Abstract means literally to draw from or separate. In this sense every artist is abstract . . . a realistic or non-objective approach makes no difference. The result is what counts.
Richard DiebenkornRead
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