Blue Surround 1982

Richard Diebenkorn created "Blue Surround", using aquatint and drypoint techniques. This work invites us to consider the artist's dialogue with his cultural landscape during the mid to late 20th century. Diebenkorn, influenced by the abstract expressionist movement, served in the military during the Second World War. This experience deeply impacted his view of society. His time spent stationed in California led to his exploration of the state's unique atmosphere through abstraction. Here, color becomes a language to explore feelings and environments. The blue evokes the Pacific coast, while the touches of green, red and yellow are perhaps the urban and natural landscapes of California. The color blocks are not just visual, they are emotional, hinting at the artist's sense of place and identity in post-war America. With "Blue Surround", Diebenkorn offers not just a picture, but a meditation on how environment shapes identity and memory.