French & American masters: Matisse, Diebenkorn
They were born nearly 50 years and an ocean apart. And while French painter Henri Matisse is a household name in this country, many Americans have never heard of Richard Diebenkorn. A new exhibition may change that.
“Matisse/Diebenkorn” juxtaposes works by each artist, side by side, to show how the French Post-Impressionist master influenced the American modernist painter, known for figure studies and landscapes. On view at the Baltimore Museum of Art through January 29, 2017, the exhibition will travel to San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art in the spring.
Left: Geometry and colors shared in Matisse’s 1914 “View of Notre Dame” (left) and Diebenkorn’s “Ocean Park #79” (1975).
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
Richard Diebenkorn
Born in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Richard Diebenkorn began drawing as a toddler, eventually going on to study art at Stanford. His early work was in the abstract expressionist mode - “the style of the time,” said curator Kathy Rothkopf.
Henri Matisse
French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is seen in this December 15, 1930 photograph.
Diebenkorn first saw a Matisse in 1943, and would travel as far as Paris and St. Petersburg to see the older artist’s work. But he never sought to imitate Matisse.
“He felt very much that it was important to look to the past,” curator Kathy Rothkopf said. “And why would you not look at something that someone else had done? It didn’t mean that you were copying them, it just meant that they were inspiring you.”
"Sleeping Woman"
Richard Diebenkorn at his home in Berkeley, Calif., in 1961, with an early version of “Sleeping Woman.”
Inspired by Matisse, Diebenkorn’s style constantly evolved. Both men produced abstract and figurative works -- some with flattened, muted colors; others with vibrant, readable images.
"Mattise/Diebenkorn"
The two artists never met, but the similarity was more than mere coincidence. Richard Diebenkorn studied Matisse almost obsessively.
When asked by CBS News’ Rita Braver what are the greatest similarities between the two artists, curator Katy Rothkopf replied, “They both loved color. And I think they both just had a magic touch with the paintbrush. … Certainly there were other artists that influenced him throughout his life, but no one more than Matisse.”
"The Yellow Dress"
“The Yellow Dress” (1929) by Henri Matisse.
"Seated Figure with Hat"
“Seated Figure with Hat” (1967) by Richard Diebenkorn.
"Studio, Quai Saint Michel"
“Studio, Quai Saint Michel” (1916) by Henri Matisse.
"Urbana #4"
“Urbana #4” (1953) by Richard Diebenkorn.
One aspect of Matisse’s abstract paintings that inspired Diebenkorn was their appearance of being unfinished or, as described by Museum of Modern Art curator John Elderfield, “unelaborated.”
Richard Diebenkorn
“Matisse always surprises me, he’s so rich,” Richard Diebenkorn told The New Yorker’s Dan Hofstadter in 1987. “He has this marvelous cool, he manages to resist all that jazz, yet he’s as sumptuous a painter as there is. It’s the restraint coupled with the sensuousness that’s so utterly exceptional.”
"Notre Dame, A Late Afternoon"
“Notre Dame, A Late Afternoon” (1902) by Henri Matisse.
"Cityscape I"
“Cityscape I” (1963) by Richard Diebenkorn.
As Diebenkorn’s style evolved from abstract expressionism towards more figurative and realistic studies, he absorbed many of the lessons of Matisse in terms of composition, color and technique.
"Goldfish and Palette"
“Goldfish and Palette” (1915) by Henri Matisse.
"Window"
“Window” (1967) by Richard Diebenkorn.
Figure Studies
Left: “Reclining Model with a Flowered Hat” (c. 1923) by Henri Matisse. Right: “Woman Seated in a Chair” by Richard Diebenkorn (1963).
Diebenkorn's Studio
An undated view of Richard Diebenkorn’s studio.
The artist died in 1993.
For more info:
“Matisse/Diebenborn” at the Baltimore Museum of Art (through January 29)
“Matisse/Diebenborn” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (March 11-May 29)
Richard Diebenkorn Foundation
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan