Untitled [woman lying back with arms behind head] 1955 - 1967

Curator: Let's turn our attention to Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [woman lying back with arms behind head]", a pencil drawing likely created between 1955 and 1967. It's a study in leisure, a portrait in repose. Editor: She looks wonderfully languid, doesn't she? All soft lines and the implied cool of the background makes me think of a beach, maybe, on a really hot day. Carefree. I immediately feel calm just looking at it. Curator: I agree. The lack of sharp definition, the blending of the figure with the landscape, really captures a mood of serene contemplation. This was a time of great societal shifts in the U.S., so I think works such as this presented an escape for some viewers. The loose, almost casual drawing style also contrasts with the tight control many expected from artists in previous decades. Editor: It feels incredibly intimate too. Almost like a glimpse of a private moment. And, as an artist, the beauty of pencil sketches like this for me is how you can almost *feel* Diebenkorn working it out, changing lines, letting it be imperfect. Curator: Precisely. And his Modernist tendencies are clearly displayed here in its simplicity of line. Think of how figurative art during this time also became increasingly focused on expressing inner psychological states, rather than aiming for mere mimetic representation. The political charged atmosphere could become stifling. Art needed to serve a more personal purpose, perhaps. Editor: Yeah, there’s something revolutionary about leisure, about choosing to look inward when everyone's screaming at you to look out. This image just encapsulates the mood of escaping and disconnecting in such a clamorous moment. Curator: Indeed. This sketch provides an invitation for the viewer, even today, to experience this same sense of personal refuge. A quiet protest. Editor: Ultimately, what sticks with me is the quiet beauty. That is is so simple and unadorned is actually quite remarkable, isn't it? Curator: I would agree wholeheartedly. A beautiful representation, both of technique and intent.