Large Bright Blue

Despite his abilities as a colorist, Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993) resisted using color in his prints. He feared in part that the potential technical difficulties would prevent him from achieving his desired results. However, with Crown Point Press founder Kathan Brown’s encouragement, Diebenkorn experimented with his first color aquatints in the series “Eight Color Etchings” in 1980. Painting the acid directly onto rosin-prepared plates, his skill in handling the brush produced immediately striking results. Two of his most admired prints, “Large Bright Blue” and “Large Light Blue”, are included in this series. Sharing the same plate, the light blue composition resulted from the ink residue in the plate after “Large Bright Blue” was printed. These prints translate the formal concerns, aesthetic sensibilities, and layered compositions in Diebenkorn’s renowned Ocean Park paintings.