Untitled [standing female nude looking over her shoulder] 1955 - 1967

Curator: This is Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [standing female nude looking over her shoulder]," a pen and ink drawing, created sometime between 1955 and 1967. Editor: My immediate response is one of incompleteness, yet also confident sensuality. The swift lines remind me of a haiku, suggestive and raw. Curator: Yes, the open linework is so characteristic of Abstract Expressionism. It's fascinating to consider how Diebenkorn navigates the male gaze here, especially in the context of second-wave feminism which began emerging during the artwork’s creation. The figure's averted gaze feels intentional, perhaps reclaiming agency over her own representation. Editor: The averted gaze certainly contributes to the aura of self-possession. Even the quick, almost frantic strokes used to indicate the hair convey a sense of inner thought, an emotional landscape as crucial as the figure herself. Look at how the darkness of the ink defines the leg... such suggestive power in a few deft strokes. Curator: Indeed. I think it’s vital to look at how social constructs have informed Diebenkorn's composition choices, consciously or unconsciously. The figure’s positioning feels quite intimate, like a private moment made public. The starkness of the linework and use of white space evokes broader dialogues around vulnerability, desire, and power dynamics. Editor: Precisely. And notice how the lines themselves dance and overlap, how shadow and contour are conveyed through pure mark-making. This technique builds emotional weight into the iconography itself; an invitation into a psychological space. Curator: I think that positioning resonates significantly with the theoretical concept of performativity—that the woman is doing "being" a woman rather than "being" one. To what extent is the nude always an exercise of culturally entrenched tropes? Editor: These rapidly drawn nudes recur across cultures and millennia as both record and inspiration. The image continues its symbolic life, a reminder that humanity endlessly examines itself. Curator: That's what I appreciate about Diebenkorn’s sketch – it serves not only as a record of form but also a commentary on the artistic act, reminding us that images are never neutral. Editor: Exactly. The drawing serves as both mirror and window, reflecting cultural symbols and inviting new, complex readings with each viewing. It’s a powerful testament to art’s enduring capacity to move us.