When I am halfway there with a painting, it can occasionally be thrilling... But it happens very rarely; usually it's agony... I go to great pains to mask the agony. But the struggle is there. It's the invisible enemy.
Richard DiebenkornRead
I want a painting to be difficult to do. The more obstacles, obstructions, problems - if they don't overwhelm - the better. I would like to feel that I am involved at any stage of the painting with all its moments, not just this 'now' moment where a superficial grace is so available.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art should challenge the creator, making the process engaging and complex.
In this quote, Richard Diebenkorn expresses the idea that creating art should not be a simple or easy endeavor. He believes that the presence of obstacles and challenges adds depth to the creative process, allowing the artist to feel a deeper connection with their work that extends beyond mere aesthetics. The journey of creation, with all its struggles, is what enriches the experience and the final outcome.
Themes
ArtCreationObstaclesProcessEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the creative process in art class.
More from Richard Diebenkorn
All quotes →In a successful painting everything is integral - all the parts belong to the whole. If you remove an aspect or element you are removing its wholeness.
Richard DiebenkornRead
All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression. To call this expression abstract seems to me often to confuse the issue. Abstract means literally to draw from or separate. In this sense every artist is abstract . . . a realistic or non-objective approach makes no difference. The result is what counts.
Richard DiebenkornRead
I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few arbitrary marks on it that start me on some sort of dialogue.
Richard DiebenkornRead
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