Untitled [nude seated on floor and holding her left leg] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled pencil drawing of a nude figure by Richard Diebenkorn, created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It feels very gestural and immediate. What strikes you about it? Curator: The use of pencil interests me. Diebenkorn's choice of such a readily available and inexpensive material is important. It emphasizes the accessibility of art-making. Why choose pencil when paint, a more traditionally "artistic" medium, was available? This calls into question the hierarchy we place on materials. Editor: I hadn't considered the significance of the medium itself. It does seem to demystify the artistic process. Does that connect to the unfinished quality of the drawing? Curator: Precisely! The visible, tentative lines highlight the labor involved in its creation. We see the artist's hand, the marks of revision. Notice also the blank face, devoid of individual features: we focus not on the personality of the model, but on the *act* of observing and recording the human form. What societal implications do you think arise? Editor: It moves away from the traditional, idealized nude and becomes more about the process of seeing and representing. Maybe a subtle comment on mass-produced images and the artifice inherent in representation itself? Curator: Good point! Perhaps by stripping away the layers of idealization and using common materials, Diebenkorn compels us to consider the social conditions that influence not only the *making* of art but our consumption of it, and what is "art" even? The drawing almost invites the viewer to participate in that construction. Editor: So it's about elevating the everyday materials and deconstructing traditional notions around the artist's touch. This has shifted my understanding significantly. Thank you. Curator: Likewise! The beauty here resides in questioning established hierarchies around materiality and the means of art production. It's a good reminder to always look beyond the surface, in every sense!