“Cityscape I (Landscape No. 1)” is an oil on canvas artwork created by Richard Diebenkorn in 1963. Measuring 153 by 128.3 centimeters, the piece is an exemplar of Expressionism and belongs to the cityscape genre. The artwork is part of the collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
The artwork presents an abstracted interpretation of a cityscape, utilizing a vibrant yet subdued palette with definitive brushstrokes that are characteristic of the Expressionist movement. It conveys the semblance of urban and suburban land bisected by roads and divided into distinct planes of color and texture. The composition employs perspective in a manner that both emphasizes the flatness of the canvas and suggests depth, with the illusion of space created through diagonal lines and juxtapositions of form and color. The elevated viewpoint provides an almost aerial perspective over the landscape. Green tones dominate large portions of the canvas, possibly hinting at parklands or agricultural spaces within or around the city. Diebenkorn’s work here is dynamic yet harmonious, with an interplay of geometric and organic shapes that invites viewers to ponder the relationship between man-made environments and the natural world.
