Still Life: Cigarette Butts and Glasses 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this work of cigarette butts and glasses in charcoal and ink on paper. Look how the objects almost emerge out of the darkness; they are defined by loosely applied lines that feel more like searching than defining. The inky blacks are dense and brooding, giving weight to the mundane objects scattered across the table. He seems to be using a brush for both thin, precise lines and broader, almost gestural marks. The glasses especially have an interesting presence. Notice how the lenses are just suggested, with the ink and charcoal allowed to accumulate around the frames, they are almost floating. This is a good example of negative space in action, and it speaks to an interest in the ambiguity of vision, of not knowing what is being focussed on. This reminds me of the work of Philip Guston, another artist who took the everyday and elevated it with mark making and playful ambiguity. For both, the act of painting or drawing itself is the subject.