Richard Diebenkorn is an expanded edition of Gerald Nordland's authoritative study of the painter, first published in 1987 and now reissued by Rizzoli, a leading publisher of fine-art books. Diebenkorn, who died in 1993, long ago entered the pantheon of great modernist artists. He was an early abstract expressionist, then went through a less successful stage of figural painting. Abruptly changing direction in the late 1960s, he rediscovered abstraction in an extraordinary series of grandly conceived paintings titled "Ocean Park," produced over a span of nearly 20 years. With strong vertical and diagonal constructions serving as structure for large areas of fresh, lyrical color, the elegant juxtapositions and satisfying geometry of "Ocean Park" make it his masterpiece; almost half this oversize book is devoted to the series. Nordland's descriptions and analyses of the paintings, based on 40 years' study of Diebenkorn's life and work, guide the reader to a deeper understanding of the painter's intentions and achievements. The text is clear, straightforward, and largely convincing, though there is surprisingly little comparative material by other artists. Graceful, understated design that complements the paintings, and extremely sensitive color reproduction, make the book itself aesthetically satisfying and a pleasure to look at. This new edition of Richard Diebenkorn maintains the book's status as the definitive study of one of America's most influential 20th-century artists. --John Stevenson


From Library Journal
This is a first monograph on a major modern American painter most often associated with the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s and 1950s. Nordland knows his subject; the text is celebratory, and perhaps not as critical as desirable, but the insights are succinct. Portraying Diebenkorn's achievements chronologically, it includes discussion of his alternative work in the figurative mode. The text focuses largely on visual description of the painter's themes, but the excellent plates and exhibition history attest to the artist's "master" status. Well designed for academic library use, whether for studio or art historical research, the book is also a viable, if expensive, option for general collections since Diebenkorn's work is found in many museums. Paula A. Baxter, NYPLCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Richard Diebenkorn, who died in 1993, is generally acknowledged as one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century. The luminous abstractions of his later career and the innovative figurative works of his middle years firmly established him as a master in the high tradition of modernism.

This revised and expanded edition of the first comprehensive monograph on the artist presents a rich selection of the artist's oeuvre. Until the mid-1950s, he painted in the abstract expressionist tradition (synthesizing, as he has since, such disparate influences as de Kooning, Gorky, Hopper, and Cézanne) before turning (unfashionably) to figurative painting along with artists David Park and Elmer Bischoff. He then embarked on the series of large abstract paintings for which he is best known--each titled Ocean Park after the beachside community where he worked. Reminiscent of Matisse in color and Mondrian in geometry, these are some of the most remarkable accomplishments of twentieth-century art. The updated section of this edition follows Diebenkorn's career from the mid-1980s until his death, focusing particularly on his adventurous late works on paper. In each "phase" of his career, Diebenkorn explored the intricate interplay between formal rigor and luminous, sensual color with the same masterful hand.

Along with several hundred reproductions of the artist's work, critic Gerald Nordland provides a thoughtful and informative study of Diebenkorn's life and career, an updated, comprehensive exhibition history, and a selected bibliography.



About the Author
Gerald Nordland is an art critic and former museum administrator whose work has appeared in many national and international publications. A contributor to Richard Diebenkorn: Paintings and Drawings, 1943-1980, he is also the author of Gaston Lachaise: The Man and his Work. As a museum administrator, he has held positions at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery at the University of California in Los Angeles. He has been a commentator on the life and art of Richard Diebenkorn for almost 40 years.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Richard Diebenkorn, who died in 1993, is generally acknowledged as one of the most influential American artists of the twentieth century. The luminous abstractions of his later career and the innovative figurative works of his middle years firmly established him as a master in the high tradition of modernism.

This revised and expanded edition of the first comprehensive monograph on the artist presents a rich selection of the artist's oeuvre. Until the mid-1950s, he painted in the abstract expressionist tradition (synthesizing, as he has since, such disparate influences as de Kooning, Gorky, Hopper, and Cézanne) before turning (unfashionably) to figurative painting along with artists David Park and Elmer Bischoff. He then embarked on the series of large abstract paintings for which he is best known--each titled Ocean Park after the beachside community where he worked. Reminiscent of Matisse in color and Mondrian in geometry, these are some of the most remarkable accomplishments of twentieth-century art. The updated section of this edition follows Diebenkorn's career from the mid-1980s until his death, focusing particularly on his adventurous late works on paper. In each "phase" of his career, Diebenkorn explored the intricate interplay between formal rigor and luminous, sensual color with the same masterful hand.

Along with several hundred reproductions of the artist's work, critic Gerald Nordland provides a thoughtful and informative study of Diebenkorn's life and career, an updated, comprehensive exhibition history, and a selected bibliography.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

This is a first monograph on a major modern American painter most often associated with the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s and 1950s. Nordland knows his subject; the text is celebratory, and perhaps not as critical as desirable, but the insights are succinct. Portraying Diebenkorn's achievements chronologically, it includes discussion of his alternative work in the figurative mode. The text focuses largely on visual description of the painter's themes, but the excellent plates and exhibition history attest to the artist's ``master'' status. Well designed for academic library use, whether for studio or art historical research, the book is also a viable, if expensive, option for general collections since Diebenkorn's work is found in many museums. Paula A. Baxter, NYPL

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