Berkeley #13 1954

Richard Diebenkorn made 'Berkeley #13' with oil on canvas. It’s all about these patchwork colors, right? Like someone piecing together a quilt, but with paint. I get a real kick out of the way he lays down the paint. It’s not trying to be slick or perfect; you can see the strokes, the texture, and the little imperfections, like the way the green overlaps on the bottom with the brown, it gives the painting a pulse. I imagine Diebenkorn working, layering colors, scraping them back, and building this history on the canvas. It makes me think about the way we build our own histories, bit by bit, with all the mess and beauty mixed in. You could say it nods to artists like Matisse, who were also obsessed with color and form, but Diebenkorn gives it this uniquely Californian vibe, easy and breezy. Anyway, that's how I see it; what do you think?