Wayne Thiebaud

This blog has taken a dark turn lately. Painter Wayne Thiebaud has died. He died on Christmas at the age of 101.

This is Boston Cremes painted in 1962. It demonstrates the qualities that I love in Thiebaud paintings. The thick impasto, the luminous shadows, the hilarious banality of the subject matter. Thiebaud’s paintings are, for me, pure pleasure.

Pies, Pies, Pies from 1961 has a similar feel.

But he didn’t just paint commercial food products. This is Betty Jean Thiebaud and Book from 1969. But his style remains recognizable.

This one is called Park Place from 1995. It might remind you of the paintings of Richard Diebenkorn. Thiebaud knew Diebenkorn well—they met in California in the mid-60s. There was a school of California painters who got lumped in with the pop artists that included Thiebaud. (Mel Ramos was also one of these painters.)

All of these paintings are visible at the McNay Museum in San Antonio through January 16. They are included in an exhibit called Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings. I hope I get a chance to see it before it closes.

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