Richard Diebenkorn

Cityscape #3

Diebenkorn’s innovative, semi-abstract landscapes of sharply inclining roadways were inspired by the rising hills of his native San Francisco. Cityscape #3 presents a partially imagined scene, with the row of buildings at left, typical of San Francisco, casting their shadow across a street and onto an invented tract of fields. Although the canvas depicts recognizable elements, the artist maintains the compositional sensibility developed in his non-representational paintings.

The aerial perspective of Cityscape #3 allows for the construction of geometric divisions rendered with expressive brushwork. The scene is devoid of human presence, providing an opportunity to contemplate the forms and colors of the place itself, rather than its relationship to people.