Untitled [seated female nude pulling her arms close to her body] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled drawing of a seated nude, using charcoal on paper. Diebenkorn was working in California during the mid-20th century when art institutions were beginning to question traditional artistic values. He moved between abstract expressionism and figurative art; this drawing embodies that in-between space. The female nude as a subject has a long history in Western art, often idealizing the female form for the male gaze. Yet Diebenkorn's sketch seems less about idealization and more about capturing a fleeting moment, a real person in a particular pose. His choice of charcoal, with its raw, immediate quality, reinforces this sense of authenticity. It's as though Diebenkorn is challenging the conventions of academic figure drawing by emphasizing the process, the act of seeing and recording, over a polished, idealized end result. To fully understand the context, one could delve into exhibition records, artists' statements, and critical reviews of the period. Art history reminds us that even the most intimate sketch is embedded in a web of social and institutional relations.