Tuesday at the Museum

By AratiApril 16, 2017

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Thoughts and impressions

I have much gratitude to Janet Bishop and Katherine Rothkopf, the curators of this exhibit for their vision in bringing these two artists together and showing their work side by side.
The gift of clearly seeing how we contribute and inspire each other to grow and stretch in our creativity.
How our vision can expand and we dare to venture into places where we would have perhaps never thought to go.

Richard Diebenkorn 1922-1993
Strong, bold, direct!!!
Used black a lot

“Woman on Porch” 1958

It’s as if he discovered the painting as he went along. Layer after layer of pigment.

Shapes overlapping and reshaping the planes.

The woman seems to emerge, comes forth from the background.

Vibrant colors. Basic primaries complementing.

So inspiring to see first hand how Diebenkorn would see something in a Matisse painting, take it in, integrate, incorporate and re invent it in his own work.

Patterns, shapes, lines, themes, colors.

To see how he was inspired and expanded on what he saw.

His paintings from the 50’s seem so dark, a lot of black, a time when he lived in the Midwest

I am touched to see how his paintings evolved into more vibrant, bold, primary colors.

His journey from the Midwest to San Francisco and then Los Angeles is etched in his paintings.

Henri Matisse 1869-1954
Master of lines
As if these fluid black lines are an extension of his own being moving freely through his
fingers and the tip of his brush, flowing on to the canvas creating figures and shapes that
appear so loose and yet are so defined.

Empty, seemingly ‘unfinished’ areas create spaces that differentiate planes, shapes.

Not filling to the edges of the lines, like children restrained and taught to only go to the edge of the line and not pass beyond.

Memories of being constricted, contracted, stunted.

“The Conversation” 1938
Fluid
Free flowing shapes
Recognizable as his. They reappear in his other works
The lines… faces, arms

“Woman with a Hat” 1905
Portrait of Madame Matisse
I am so happy to see her again. It’s been a long time!
I loooove her green face. Permission to completely step out of the box!
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Photographs from Tuesday at the Museum