Untitled [crouching nude holding her left leg] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s "Untitled [crouching nude holding her left leg]," created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It's an ink drawing, and what strikes me most is its raw, almost vulnerable quality. What’s your perspective on it? Curator: That vulnerability hits the nail on the head! Diebenkorn was really grappling with figuration versus abstraction during this period. Notice how the confident, almost brutal, lines define the figure, yet also threaten to dissolve her form? It’s like she’s both present and disappearing simultaneously. He’s not interested in idealized beauty here. Editor: Right, it's much more about the *feeling* of the figure, rather than a perfect likeness. And the way she's sort of boxed in by those angular lines at the bottom – does that contribute to the feeling of vulnerability, do you think? Curator: Absolutely! Those lines suggest a defined space, perhaps even a psychological enclosure. It almost traps the viewer as well. Diebenkorn does not use shading so everything flattens against the plane of the paper. What story do you think the artist might be exploring, drawing her this way? Editor: It makes me wonder about intimacy, and the sometimes uncomfortable realities of existing in your own body, or being seen. Almost a glimpse into a private moment, yet mediated by the artist's bold strokes. Curator: Exactly! It's a shared moment made universal through his particular gaze. Diebenkorn beautifully encapsulates that tension between observation and introspection, the seen and the felt. Editor: I hadn’t considered the universal aspect before. It seemed so personal. This has definitely opened my eyes to the complexities within such a seemingly simple drawing. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! I always find with Diebenkorn, there’s always another layer waiting to be peeled back.