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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A successful painting requires all elements to work cohesively; removing any part disrupts the integrity of the whole.
The quote emphasizes the importance of harmony and unity in art. Richard Diebenkorn suggests that every element in a painting plays a vital role in creating the overall representation; when an aspect is taken away, the painting loses its essence and completeness. This principle highlights the interconnectedness of parts in a work of art, illustrating that each component contributes to the viewer's perception and emotional response.
Themes
ArtWholenessPaintingElementsIntegrity
In practice
Example use cases
In an art class while discussing composition, I could use this quote to emphasize the importance of each element.
More from Richard Diebenkorn
All quotes →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.
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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