Diebenkorn vs. the I-5

This weekend, my sweetheart and I set off on a quest of semi-mythic dimension to the land of beautiful people and business parks, the OC.  What could compel us to drive 320 miles when gas is $4.15 a gallon?  Four words should suffice, but I will offer more (in the spirit of generosity and self-importance): RICHARD DIEBENKORN, OCEAN PARK.

Southern California was gracious enough to provide an appropriate meteorological overture to our adventure with a fine mix of sun and fog.  Indeed, to see the sun’s light and color mediated by fog was to be perfectly primed to see Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park paintings.

The painting at left greets you as you enter the exhibition.  It was the easy painting to love, with almost every color represented in a more or less pleasing proportion and with large forms organized into a composition that nods, at least, to a traditional understanding of perspective.  I stood transfixed for quite a while, but it later struck me that it verged on pandering.  The exhibition designer made a smart choice for an introductory work, but there are other paintings in the show that reward a good long stare more richly than this one.

Everyone in California should see this show.  Until recently, Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park paintings were among the most valuable California works available.  Of course, the recent Clyfford Still sale at Sotheby’s basically buried that reputation under an avalanche of headlines and cold hard cash.

Thus, the minor tragedy that this earth-shaking exhibition (and critical component of PST) is located at a tiny museum in Orange County with almost no signage at the edge of one of Southern California’s preeminent malls.  I’m so grateful to the Orange County Museum of Art for mounting the exhibition and I don’t fault them for their lackluster signage or diminutive size.  No, I fault the larger institutions closer to Santa Monica (hint: I’m staring at you LACMA) for not making a larger space (and a larger audience) available.  On a Sunday afternoon, there were about sixty-five people in the museum.

These are my favorite works by one of my very favorite painters, so I could easily make this post too long telling you why.  I’ll spare you (mercy AND generosity… how’s THAT folks?).  In the meantime, get thee to the OC. The exhibition runs through May 27th.  RD: 1 :: I5: 0.

 

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