Lot Essay
Blue Loop and the following seven prints are considered by many to be Richard Diebenkorn's most important set of prints. In 1962, Diebenkorn was introduced to drypoint printmaking by one of his students in Los Angeles. Following his return to Berkeley, Diebenkorn contacted Kathan Brown, founder of Crown Point Press, to expand his experience in this new-found art form. At the time, Crown Point Press was less than a year old and still located in Kathan Brown's home. For eighteen years, Diebenkorn made only black and white intaglios at Crown Point Press.
In 1980, Diebenkorn began to experiment with color. He had avoided making color prints for many years because he was concerned that he could not control the color sufficiently in the printing process and felt it was often used in prints purely as a decorative element. He was concerned that the technical aspect of printmaking would temper his success with color prints.
Diebenkorn began experimenting with spitbite, an aquatint process that allows the artist a more painterly approach to printmaking. Out of his experimentation with color intaglio came Eight Color Etchings, the artist's first color etchings. Many of the prints in this group are related to each other by technical manipulations as well as by subtle compositional adjustments. For example, the outline structure of Small Red was created from a freshly printed proof of the rectangle in Blue Loop. The ink from Blue Loop was transferred to a fresh plate, which was rotated so that it stands vertically in Small Red.
Eight Color Etchings also illustrate Diebenkorn's experimentation with the color carrying properties of both line and field. The Construct prints carry color in the line while the other prints carry color in the fields.
In 1980, Diebenkorn began to experiment with color. He had avoided making color prints for many years because he was concerned that he could not control the color sufficiently in the printing process and felt it was often used in prints purely as a decorative element. He was concerned that the technical aspect of printmaking would temper his success with color prints.
Diebenkorn began experimenting with spitbite, an aquatint process that allows the artist a more painterly approach to printmaking. Out of his experimentation with color intaglio came Eight Color Etchings, the artist's first color etchings. Many of the prints in this group are related to each other by technical manipulations as well as by subtle compositional adjustments. For example, the outline structure of Small Red was created from a freshly printed proof of the rectangle in Blue Loop. The ink from Blue Loop was transferred to a fresh plate, which was rotated so that it stands vertically in Small Red.
Eight Color Etchings also illustrate Diebenkorn's experimentation with the color carrying properties of both line and field. The Construct prints carry color in the line while the other prints carry color in the fields.