Through Diebenkorn’s "Window": Transitions in Time

Two hidden compositions lie below the surface of Window by painter and Stanford graduate Richard Diebenkorn, BA ’49. These hidden compositions were unknown to the art community except as barely visible reworkings, or pentimenti, until brought to light by Stanford student Katherine Van Kirk, ’19, during her fellowship in the Cantor’s Art+Science Lab. This installation shows the multiple layers uncovered through infrared reflectography as evidence—in a single painting—of the transition Diebenkorn was making in his art from figurative to still life and landscapes to the more abstract. Viewers will have a chance to discover the hidden works themselves through a digital media platform and in early drawings in the artist’s sketchbooks and other works in the Cantor's collection.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.