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Richard Diebenkorn (American, Bay Area Figurative Movement, 1922–1993): Untitled (Ocean Park), 1979. Acrylic, gouache, crayon, and charcoal on paper; 23 x 29 inches (58.4 x 73.7 cm). © The Richard Diebenkorn Foundation. [This artwork or photograph is posted in accordance with fair use principles.]

“In 1954 Life magazine called his work ‘abstract landscape,’ a term which could be applied to the Ocean Park series. Diebenkorn began the series, which would eventually grow to more than 140 paintings, in 1966 … Daily walks to his studio took him through the Santa Monica Park, which he explored in this series of large canvases. The paintings echo each other: Formal aspects ⚊ the ruler-straight lines, some visible, others almost rubbed out ⚊ and the sensuous blended colors recur in most. But each finds this ‘abstract landscape’ in a different mood almost becoming a chronicle of the light and composition at play in the park and the adjoining ocean.

“Never a doctrinaire Abstract painter or Realist painter, Diebenkorn rejected identification with any one school. Indeed, the Ocean Park series, the culmination of his work as an artist, may be seen as a combination of abstract, realistic, and specifically Californian approaches to art.” (pbs.org, © WGBH Educational Foundation.)