Richard Diebenkorn & Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper, New York Corner (Corner Saloon), 1913, oil on canvas (Cantor Arts
Edward Hopper, New York Corner (Corner Saloon), 1913, oil on canvas (Cantor Arts Center, Stanford)

Lawrence Gipe reviews Richard Diebenkorn: The Sketchbooks Revealed and Edward Hopper: New York Corner at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford through August 8, 2016.

Gipe observes: "In a transition zone between the two shows, the curators ... utilize a small suite of hitherto unseen works by the youthful Diebenkorn, who was clearly imitating his mentor. Truth be told, the largest painting looks so much like a Hopper, it makes you do a double take on the label. The inclusion of these pieces as a bridge between the two exhibitions neatly embellishes what was formally just a biographical 'footnote.' The gesture also provides a nice antidote to the time-tested story applied to Diebenkorn (and many of his cohorts) of the American artist assimilating the European avant-garde. "