Untitled [woman holding a cup] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This drawing, titled "Untitled [woman holding a cup]", created by Richard Diebenkorn between 1955 and 1967, is strikingly simple. The lines are so spare, yet they evoke a certain domestic intimacy. How do you read this piece? Curator: From a materialist perspective, let’s consider the immediate context: a pencil drawing. Its apparent simplicity belies a complex layering of choices and gestures, evident in its manifestation through graphite and paper. It makes us question: Whose labor created these materials? What are the consumption patterns reflected in this intimate domestic scene? Editor: So, you're less focused on the "who" of the woman and more on the "how" of the drawing itself? Curator: Precisely. This seemingly mundane act—a woman holding a cup—is filtered through Diebenkorn's hand, transforming readily available materials into something of aesthetic consideration. Even the implied utility of the cup is challenged, its form merely suggested, pushing us to consider its material existence within the context of mid-century commodity culture. Was it mass-produced? Hand-crafted? Editor: I hadn't considered that. Thinking about the industrial context informs my reading. The sketch now appears like a prototype, a study of form rather than an idealized portrayal. Curator: Exactly! We can understand how everyday life inspires Diebenkorn but his abstraction deconstructs social values and labor. The process, the making, are always connected to labor and our consumer society. Editor: That gives me so much to consider about what seems a minimal artwork; I now see that the apparent simple and spare rendering brings significant and relevant meaning when deconstructed and examined through its materials. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Never forget to see how things are made, it will guide your perception.