Untitled [seated female nude with left arm raised] 1955 - 1967

Curator: This is an untitled pencil drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It features a seated female nude with her left arm raised. Editor: It’s so minimal. Just a few strokes, but they powerfully suggest the weight and form of the figure. There’s a definite vulnerability, yet also a poised confidence to the way she sits. Curator: Diebenkorn was really interested in exploring the possibilities of line and form through simple materials like pencil and paper. What’s fascinating here is how much he conveys with so little – the play of light, the contours of the body, the very essence of the pose. The economy of mark-making emphasizes process. It feels immediate and unpretentious. Editor: Right, the lack of detail is striking. The face is almost totally blank, and the lines are loose and sketchy, nothing feels fixed. Given when it was made, the drawing sits against the highly sexualized female form dominating pop culture at that moment. It is such a departure from images found, for example, in Playboy magazine, first published in 1953. The anonymity suggests, perhaps, less objectification. Curator: That's interesting, to view it through the socio-cultural lens of its time. In terms of process, the choice of such humble materials – just pencil on paper – forces us to consider the role of the artist’s hand. No complex technologies, just skill and intent. It pushes the question: where does value truly reside in art making? Editor: Absolutely. And those kinds of economic, formal decisions are so central to how artists either resist or play into broader systems of art making and spectatorship. For today's audience, this artwork could serve as an excellent way to begin or enrich the viewing of figure drawings, and to have an informed conversation around art production and accessibility. Curator: Agreed. Diebenkorn invites us to consider how form can carry meaning, challenging viewers to reflect on artistic skill. Editor: Indeed, leaving me to ponder what makes art valuable.