Untitled [seated female nude with leg drawn to chest] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Curator: This is an untitled pencil drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, likely created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It presents a seated female nude with one leg drawn up to her chest. Editor: It feels incredibly raw, almost like a fleeting thought captured on paper. The line is so immediate, you can practically feel the artist’s hand moving. There's a quiet intimacy to the sketch. Curator: Indeed. That rawness speaks to Diebenkorn's commitment to process. The simplicity of line betrays a deeper symbolism, too, I think. It presents the human figure stripped down to essential form and posture. There is something about this posture of seated repose that recalls classical images of Venus. Editor: I agree the immediacy comes from his process. Think about the kind of labor invested here – the choice of such an inexpensive medium emphasizes accessibility. He doesn’t rely on expensive materials to convey meaning. It's about the line, the hand, the simple graphite, paper surface, and the fleeting, shared experience. Curator: And in its unadorned quality, the lack of precise facial features, perhaps Diebenkorn invites us, the viewers, to project our own emotions, histories, even cultural understandings, onto the figure. The lack of detail encourages identification. Editor: Yes, there is also something beautiful in that the quick rendering invites us to also consider the labor involved, or rather not over-involved. Curator: So while ostensibly simple, the work's beauty is deeply complex, rooted in art history while exploring our emotional connection to the human form. Editor: I'd say this speaks to an intimacy achieved precisely because it's not overwrought, carefully polished, or precious. Instead, it's immediate, tangible labor. Curator: Exactly! I leave thinking of drawing’s enduring power, how simple materials and sensitive hands are a potent medium. Editor: And the simple, expressive graphite reveals beauty inherent in modest means of production.