Corner of Studio – Sink 1963

Richard Diebenkorn captured this corner of his studio, sink and all, with oil on canvas, in shades of grey and blue. I can imagine him there, squinting, brush in hand, trying to capture the light as it hit the porcelain. There’s a kind of quiet intimacy in the way he renders the mundane. It's like he’s inviting us into his personal space, not just the studio, but his way of seeing the world. The paint is neither too thick nor too thin, it's just right. The pipes under the sink become almost sculptural, like a still life by Morandi. Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series comes to mind, though here, instead of expansive landscapes, we have this compressed view of the studio. It’s funny, isn’t it? How one artist can see poetry in a sink. It makes you wonder what other artists might have found inspiring in their own studios.