Much like words, each object in Diehl’s paintings can be considered in relation to another object, whether a vessel, postcard, book, or talisman. Each combination is subsequently open to a myriad of interpretations, and Diehl is pleased when viewers draw connections or see meanings that he himself had not considered. As his work is first and foremost “art about art,” the lynchpin of his paintings is their references to other artworks. Modernism has been a recurring theme for him for many years and is celebrated again in Still Life with Robert Delaunay #2–1919-2013 (2013), which marks the centennial of Modernism and the 1913 Armory show in New York. A number of other paintings in the exhibition also reference important Modernist artists—such as Piet Mondrian, Giorgio Morandi, and Robert Delaunay—who each uniquely embody the revolutionary convergence of visual art, music, science, and psychology that erupted at the beginning of the 20th century. Diehl channels this confluence of events and ideas on a smaller scale through the networks of connections created within his paintings.
Instead of reproducing an artist’s most iconic work, Diehl tends to select lesser-known pieces just beyond the artist’s mainstream oeuvre. Such an approach fosters inquiry and engagement by exposing viewers to the unfamiliar and encouraging them to ask questions not only about the art presented, but also about the nature of art in general. In addition to more esoteric works, Diehl often features lesser-known artists as well. Still Life with Bill Traylor and Robert Johnson (2012), for example, places two underappreciated American artists into dialogue: Robert Johnson, an itinerant blues musician who revolutionized guitar-playing, and Bill Traylor, a former slave and self-taught artist who began painting in his mid-80s. Not only were both men artistic pioneers, they also lived extraordinary lives marked by struggle and racial discrimination.
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