Whitney Biennial

Both of the works I chose to compare from the Whitney Biennial were actually from the retrospective of past biennials on the top floor. Milton Avery's oil painting from 1956, titled Sea Gazers, was a perfect piece to compare and contrast with Richard Diebenkorn's Girl Looking at Landscape exhibited two years following. Both artists have been included in numerous Whitney Annuals and Biennials It was very interesting to see a very similar subject matter, namely a view of a landscape with figure(s), handled in two different painting styles as well as from two different physical viewpoints. While both paintings also have a human element, they, too, are treated uniquely.

In Diebenkorn's Girl Looking at Landscape we are intimate with the woman looking out the window, invited to share her view of the verdant scene beyond. In Avery's work, Sea Gazers,

the people are in the landscape and we are viewing them as well as the seascape they enjoy. Despite these differences, both paintings have a feeling of casual calm. The relaxed pose of the woman in Diebenkorn's work and the soft colors of Avery's piece each contribute this feeling of contentment.

The size of the two works also contributes to their varying impact on the viewer. While Avery's piece is somewhat small at 30" 44", Diebenkorn's is a much larger painting (approximately 3' x 4'). Becasue of this, I definitely noticed Diebenkorn's work first, but the soft colors and simple composition of Avery's piece drew me in slowly. While both artists tend to simplify the real world when they paint, they also succeed in capturing the essence of a scene. I am reminded of Florian Maier-Aichen's method of deconstructing the photographs he takes. Indeed, Avery is quoted as saying "I always take something out of my pictures. I strip the design to the essentials."