Untitled [three studies: head of a man playing a wind instrument] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s “Untitled [three studies: head of a man playing a wind instrument]” drawn with graphite on paper. Diebenkorn was a figure within the Bay Area Figurative Movement, emerging from a generation of artists marked by World War II. During his military service, Diebenkorn was stationed stateside, which gave him access to museums and allowed him to further his art studies. These sketches echo a sense of post-war introspection. Each head, rendered in profile, appears lost in thought, their music a solitary act. Is this a depiction of self? The repetition of the male form emphasizes a certain type of masculinity, one that’s pensive and creative, yet framed within the traditional, and perhaps constrained, expectations of the time. The sketch invites us to reflect on the artist’s personal journey, caught between the expectations of society and the yearning for individual expression.