Knife + Tomato I 1962

Richard Diebenkorn made this painting, Knife + Tomato I, with oil on board. He's working with a limited palette, but he manages to evoke so much. For me, this little painting becomes an exploration of process. The materiality of the paint is so present. You can see how he's built up the surface with layers, especially in the black background. The paint application is immediate and direct. The strokes around the cut tomato are quite luscious, almost juicy! And the knife, laid flat, cool against the warmth of the tomato. Diebenkorn invites us to see the beauty in the everyday. There's a stillness in the painting, a meditative quality that reminds me of Giorgio Morandi's humble still lifes. Like Morandi, Diebenkorn finds poetry in simple forms and quiet moments.