Diebenkorn, Richard | Folsom Street Variations II (Grey), 1986 — available on Composition Gallery

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Original aquatint with drypoint, soap ground aquatint and flat bite printed in grey and black on wove paper bearing the ‘RIVES’ block letter watermark. Edition of 35, numbered in pencil lower left (plus a few additional proofs). Published by Crown Point Press, San Francisco; printed by Marcia Bartholme at Crown Point Press. Sheet size: 67.9 x 75.9 cm (26 3/4 x 29 7/8 in) Image size: 50.2 x 75.9 cm (19 3/4 x 29 7/8 in)

Folsom Street Variations II (Grey) is a luminous aquatint with drypoint and soap-ground aquatint that belongs to one of Diebenkorn's most sought-after print series. The composition divides the sheet into intersecting geometric fields of grey and black — rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids defined by ruled and freehand lines — that evoke the aerial perspectives and architectural geometry of his celebrated Ocean Park paintings. The grey palette, at once austere and subtly warm, reveals extraordinary tonal variation within its narrow range, each field differentiated by the density and texture of the aquatint grain. Printed on wove paper bearing the 'RIVES' watermark in an edition of thirty-five, this is a masterwork of abstract printmaking from the artist who bridged Bay Area figuration and Californian abstraction.

Richard Diebenkorn (USA, 1922–1993) was a celebrated painter and printmaker, known for his transition from abstract expressionism to figurative work and back to abstraction. His Ocean Park series, inspired by the landscapes of California, features luminous, geometric compositions. Diebenkorn’s art bridges abstraction and representation, leaving a profound impact on modern art.

Richard Diebenkorn

Folsom Street Variations II (Grey), 1986

Name: Folsom Street Variations II (Grey), 1986
SKU: 17061
Price: 10800.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Form

Limited Edition Print

Limited Edition PrintA limited edition print is one of a number of prints made at the same time from one printmaking plate. A fixed number are made and signed by the artist, indicating the printing order, using the format 1/10, meaning first of ten prints.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

Edition

Edition of 35 + proofs

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●Inventory 17061

Mistakes can't be erased, but they move you from your present position.
- Richard Diebenkorn

Arguably best known for his Ocean Park paintings, Richard Diebenkorn was a painter and printmaker with early roots in abstract expressionism and a later involvement with the Bay Area Figurative Movement throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. His move to figuration saw works such as Girl On a Terrace come to light – he employed a range of soft, subtle colours to create his simple depictions of life at the time. Diebenkorn explored figuration for a decade or so before he returned to his abstraction origins – this is when he began to compile the Ocean Park series, a selection of works that, while abstract, still managed to capture the essence of the landscape and the times he was living among. While it could be stated that his artistic career was divided into three different segments – abstraction, figuration and abstraction once again – Diebenkorn was not afraid to mix the two, and his portraits were usually a striking blend of the two. His work has frequently been compared to that of Willem De Kooning – an artist that Diebenkorn has often cited as an inspiration. (Artist website)

Artwork by Eduardo Chillida

What is abstract art?

Abstract art uses form, shape, line, and color to create a visual experience without attempting to represent external reality. The composition exists independently of the world's visual references, focusing on expressing ideas and emotions through non-representational means.

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Richard Diebenkorn

Folsom Street Variations II (Grey), 1986

67.9 x 75.9 cm

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Richard Diebenkorn