Untitled [side view of a reclining female nude] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled pencil drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It depicts the side view of a reclining female nude. The sketchiness of the lines gives it a very intimate, almost vulnerable feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the intimate quality you noted, consider the socio-political landscape in which Diebenkorn was working. Post-war America witnessed shifting roles for women, even within domestic settings. Does this rendering, with its somewhat ambiguous and obscured features, perhaps speak to the restricted visibility and agency afforded to women during that period? The loose, almost anxious lines might hint at the underlying tensions. What do you make of the space she occupies? Editor: It feels undefined, almost like a limbo. It's not quite a bed, not quite a landscape… Curator: Exactly. And whose gaze is privileged here? Diebenkorn, as the artist, certainly. But consider, too, how the viewer is positioned to observe. Are we invited into a moment of shared intimacy, or are we voyeurs? How does the ambiguity of the setting influence your interpretation of the power dynamics at play? Editor: I never considered the power dynamics. The setting makes the figure vulnerable but, I suppose, less relatable too? Curator: It's a negotiation, isn't it? This work, in its delicate lines and uncertain setting, offers us a lens through which to examine the complexities of representation, gender, and power in the mid-20th century. By looking closely, we are challenged to confront not just what we see, but also how we see and why. Editor: Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts on how social context complicates my reading of the work.