Don't 'discover' a subject of any kind. Richard Diebenkorn More Quotes by Richard Diebenkorn More Quotes From Richard Diebenkorn 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 Diebenkorn arbitraryfacesideas Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion. Richard Diebenkorn delusioncertainmay All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression Richard Diebenkorn paintingmoodpeople Mistakes can't be erased, but they move you from your present position. Richard Diebenkorn positionmistakemoving 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 Diebenkorn paintingelementssuccessful Abstract means literally to draw from or separate. In this sense every artist is abstract for he must create his own work from his visual impressions. A realistic or non-objective approach makes no difference. The result is what counts. Richard Diebenkorn differencesmeanart One wants to see the artifice of the thing as well as the subject. Richard Diebenkorn artificewellswant I would like the colors, their shapes and positions to be arrived at in response to and dictated by the condition of the total space at the time they are considered. Richard Diebenkorn shapescolorspace If you get an image try to destroy it. Richard Diebenkorn imaginationifstrying My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful, the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Richard Diebenkorn limitsfieldsmeaningful I can never accomplish what I want - only what I would have wanted had I thought of it beforehand. Richard Diebenkorn abilityaccomplishwant I came to mistrust my desire to explode the picture and supercharge it in some way… what is more important is a feeling of strength in reserve – tension beneath calm. Richard Diebenkorn importantdesirefeelings 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 Diebenkorn painstruggleart 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 Diebenkorn artistexpressionmean Don't be a Pollyanna! Richard Diebenkorn pollyannacourage Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable. Richard Diebenkorn expendablesqualityuse Somehow don't be bored, but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential. Richard Diebenkorn boreduseaction I have found in my still-life work that I seem to be able to tell what objects are important to me by what tends to stay in the painting as it develops. Richard Diebenkorn paintingableimportant I trust the symbol that is arrived at in the making of the painting. Meaningful symbols aren't invented as such, they are made or discovered as symbol later. Richard Diebenkorn paintingmademeaningful I keep plastering it until it comes around to what I want, in terms of all I know and think about painting now, as well as in terms of the initial observation. Richard Diebenkorn paintingwantthinking
