Untitled [side view of seated female nude with long hair] 1922 - 1993

Curator: I see sadness. A kind of weary resignation. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is a pencil drawing, an untitled work by Richard Diebenkorn, depicting a seated female nude, viewed from the side. The work likely dates somewhere between 1922 and 1993, a period when Diebenkorn was intensely focused on figuration. Curator: I love how the lines aren't perfect. There's a vulnerability in the sketchiness. It’s as if the artist is searching for her, bit by bit. Trying to understand. Not to possess. Editor: Absolutely. And you can see Diebenkorn grappling with the female form in a period deeply influenced by shifts in social norms. Remember, during much of this time, depictions of the nude were often politically charged, particularly concerning the representation of women's bodies and the male gaze. Curator: Gaze. Exactly. Here it feels… kinder, more intimate, you know? Like he's sitting in the same room with her. Observing, almost reverently. Not undressing her with his eyes. More like... like getting a feeling from someone on the bus but respecting that their life is not your story to tell, just observe. Editor: That reading chimes with the post-war interest in authentic and raw expression, diverging from academic traditions. Diebenkorn, although trained, engages with an unrefined aesthetic allowing for what some would call the 'true' or ‘real’ to be found within. Some consider this more about 'seeing' as opposed to 'knowing'—he's letting the subject reveal itself. Curator: Perhaps... Maybe that’s why the title’s "untitled." Because, you know, sometimes the deepest connections are beyond words. The lines just express feelings—nothing really articulate just observation. Editor: That lack of prescriptive narrative certainly opens the door to various interpretations. One has to wonder whether the lack of ‘finish’ relates directly to social concerns regarding female portrayal and an attempt by Diebenkorn to democratise the subject. It is also, obviously, a beautiful sketch! Curator: I agree! And those faint, hesitant strokes… they resonate even louder than any grand masterpiece. I could look at this drawing for hours. Editor: It certainly holds an arresting simplicity and a reminder of how a single, humble pencil can unlock a world of feeling, history and cultural meaning.