Untitled [seated nude resting her head upon her right hand] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [seated nude resting her head upon her right hand] [recto]," an ink drawing created sometime between 1955 and 1967. There's a rawness to it, an immediacy. The figure seems lost in thought. What strikes you most when you look at this piece? Curator: Lost in thought, precisely. And that simple line, isn’t it remarkable how it suggests so much with so little? Diebenkorn's economy of means is captivating. For me, the incomplete face draws me in. The absence becomes a space for contemplation, a mirror reflecting our own interiority, you know? Does it bring to mind any other artists? Editor: Hmm, maybe Matisse? Because of the simplicity and focus on the human form. But Matisse feels more decorative somehow, less…stark. Curator: A beautiful parallel. Now that you mention, stark it is! Diebenkorn distills the figure down to its essence; the very few lines suggest all that we need. But it is far from empty--more than a physical presence, right? Do you sense something in its atmosphere? A loneliness? Editor: Maybe a quiet contemplation. The lack of detail gives her an anonymity, almost as if she's everyone and no one at the same time. Curator: Precisely! You've grasped it perfectly. And isn’t that the beauty of art? It can evoke such personal resonances with seemingly simple strokes. Do you imagine her thinking about something that troubles her? About what will become of her tomorrow? Of her youth? So much of ourselves in a drawing of not too many lines. Editor: I never thought I could see that in this artwork but I see that now! Thanks. Curator: Thank you, my dear. My thoughts exactly. It has been wonderful bouncing my ideas off your very insightful point of view!