Untitled [woman wearing sunglasses] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled portrait drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, probably made sometime between 1955 and 1967. I find it quite intriguing, particularly the sunglasses obscuring the subject’s eyes. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The sunglasses immediately strike me. Beyond protecting the eyes, they act as a mask. Sunglasses are such potent cultural artifacts. They signify cool detachment, a deliberate obscuring of the self. This dates the work in the mid-century, during a rise of consumer culture. Editor: So the sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement? Curator: Not at all! They participate in a language of image creation. This period of consumerism is reflected and mediated by popular culture, like film, television, and advertising, showing a continuous play with identities. The woman’s averted gaze suggests perhaps, not confidence but something shielded, something perhaps fragile beneath the surface. Is she reflecting on how she's been made to see herself? Editor: That makes me look at the sketch differently. At first, I saw a confident woman, but the obscured eyes could equally suggest vulnerability. Curator: Precisely. Consider also the incomplete rendering. Diebenkorn leaves sections undefined, allowing our imaginations to fill the gaps. Is the "unresolved" quality of this a cultural comment? The symbol changes, its usage changing meaning, but we still share an emotional link with it. Editor: The sketch now speaks to a fascinating dialogue between appearance, reality, and the projections we impose through fashion. Thanks! Curator: Indeed! It is the continuing interpretation that builds cultural memory around a visual symbol.