Untitled [nude seated with her foot on bench] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled drawing of a nude, seated figure, using graphite on paper. The drawing captures a private moment, with the figure’s head bowed and obscured by her arm, creating a sense of introspection. Diebenkorn was working in the mid-20th century, in a period marked by shifting attitudes towards the human body in art. The nude had, of course, a long and established history, particularly within the academy. But while traditional nudes were often idealized, here we see something different. This drawing feels like a deliberate departure from that tradition, emphasizing the everyday. To truly understand this work, we might turn to studies of mid-century American art and culture, looking at the ways in which artists were engaging with questions of privacy, intimacy, and the representation of the body. Diebenkorn gives us something understated, challenging conventional notions of beauty and representation, encouraging us to see the human form in a new light.