Untitled [standing nude applying lipstick in a mirror] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Curator: This drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, made sometime between 1955 and 1967, depicts a standing nude applying lipstick in a mirror. Editor: My first thought is intimacy, almost voyeuristic. The spare lines seem to both reveal and conceal the figure's vulnerability. It feels private, a stolen moment. Curator: Definitely. The use of pencil on paper, its inherent texture, creates a direct connection to the artist's hand. The process itself seems laid bare. Diebenkorn's reductive technique minimizes details, forcing the viewer to consider the raw physicality of both the subject and the medium. Editor: I'm interested in how the work grapples with female representation and the performance of identity. Consider the context. This drawing comes from a period rife with debates around second-wave feminism and its attendant critique of the male gaze. Curator: Absolutely. And by focusing on a commonplace action such as applying lipstick, the drawing perhaps challenges art historical hierarchies that elevated monumental painting above smaller, intimate drawings. What can the labor involved in production, circulation, and consumption tell us about a culture and its values? Editor: Precisely. It begs the question, what societal expectations are imposed onto women, especially concerning beauty standards? This single figure applying lipstick isn't just prepping for display. What are her aspirations, motivations, the underlying reasons that drive such routines of self-fashioning? It invites us to delve deep into the intricacies of gender performativity. Curator: I'm compelled to reflect on how these economical lines convey mass, volume and presence with seemingly very little artifice. It presents the very means through which this image became real for the artist himself, or a particular patron of his era, reflecting perhaps their preferences too. Editor: Seeing it now, it resonates as both deeply personal and intrinsically linked to the broader discourse surrounding female agency. A seemingly fleeting sketch encapsulates so much. Curator: The directness of the mark-making allows a great peek at Diebenkorn’s process. Editor: I’ll think of it as a glimpse into self-creation within a defined cultural context.