.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Posing as the subject of this portrait is the Jane Fitz Gibbon, wife of John Fitz Gibbon, an influential art critic, professor of art history at Sacramento State, and a dedicated collector of postwar Californian art. The Fitz Gibbons was integral in the Northern Californian art scene from the 1960s onward, with John fostering friendships and writing extensively about notable artists of the period, including Robert Arneson, Jim Nutt, Robert Colescott, and Richard Diebenkorn.
Jane herself is depicted head-on, mezzobusto, with a compelling focus on her face. The tone of the portrait is elusive, Jane’s expression appears blank and detached, as if Diebenkorn has captured her in a moment of contemplative reflection. The heavy brushstrokes and expressive use of color, combined with a remote, pensive tone, recall the similarly haunting portraits of Paul Cézanne. An exceptionally intimate canvas, Jane exemplifies Diebenkorn’s figurative oeuvre and serves as a unique tribute to the intimate relationship between artist and muse.
Jane herself is depicted head-on, mezzobusto, with a compelling focus on her face. The tone of the portrait is elusive, Jane’s expression appears blank and detached, as if Diebenkorn has captured her in a moment of contemplative reflection. The heavy brushstrokes and expressive use of color, combined with a remote, pensive tone, recall the similarly haunting portraits of Paul Cézanne. An exceptionally intimate canvas, Jane exemplifies Diebenkorn’s figurative oeuvre and serves as a unique tribute to the intimate relationship between artist and muse.