Untitled [seated model with her left hand to her mouth] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Curator: Looking at it now, Diebenkorn's "Untitled [seated model with her left hand to her mouth] [verso]", probably created between 1955 and 1967, really strikes a chord with me. A seemingly simple charcoal drawing, it's full of quiet intensity. Editor: There's an immediacy, almost as if Diebenkorn quickly captured a fleeting moment, a deep pensiveness etched onto the figure. I sense some conflict; maybe she's making a choice or feeling uncertain. Curator: Well, thinking about Diebenkorn's larger practice during this time, and especially considering the role of the female model in post-war American art, it seems that the "Untitled" work invites us to see a quiet but deliberate act of defiance against social and artistic expectations. She’s not just a subject; she occupies this space, but seemingly under her own terms, her hand creating a subtle barrier. Editor: So you are saying the barriers that the model imposes onto herself are also societal impositions? But do you not see, even through its minimalistic execution, an echo of Existentialist philosophy—the inherent anxiety and self-awareness characteristic of that era? And isn’t that hand a means to convey the social restraints of women within the male gaze? Curator: The mid-century milieu definitely left its mark. But beyond mere confinement, I read resilience. Look at how the rough strokes and the charcoal lend a physicality to her form, a certain gravity. Even if constrained, there is intent in the gesture, and that communicates to me. This isn’t simply passivity, it’s considered. Editor: The negative space and incomplete lines almost feel like the unfinished business of history. But there is beauty within the seeming fragmentation and struggle to find your own sense of personhood amid it all. Curator: Beautifully put. It’s more than just a portrait; it’s a study of presence and resilience—especially of a woman at that time. Editor: An engaging image for sure, full of nuance to inspire broader cultural narratives on gender and identity. Curator: It offers us the opportunity to view beyond its simplicity into the more thoughtful and socio-cultural circumstances of art.