Ocean Park #70 1974

Richard Diebenkorn made this painting, Ocean Park #70, with oil on canvas. You can see the hand of the artist in the varied brushstrokes, thin washes, and visible underpainting that let us know art-making is a process. The painting's surface has a kind of luminous quality, doesn't it? Diebenkorn has built up layers of translucent color. It almost feels like he’s layering light. See how the muted reds and blues meet those creamy, off-whites and grays? It's like he’s trying to capture a sense of space. Look at the top left corner. You can see the residue of lines that have been painted over, like ghostly echoes of previous decisions. Diebenkorn reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, someone who also found infinite possibilities within a limited vocabulary. It's like they're both having a conversation about how much emotion can be conveyed through restraint, line, and color. This piece is all about embracing ambiguity, leaving space for our own interpretations.