Untitled [female nude seated in armchair] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [female nude seated in armchair]", a pencil drawing made sometime between 1955 and 1967. The sketchy quality and lack of facial features create a rather impersonal feeling. What do you make of its composition? Curator: Indeed, the sketch is interesting from a formal perspective. Notice the dynamic interplay between the shaded areas, achieved through dense hatching, and the negative space defined by the contour lines. It appears as a study in volume, particularly evident in the rendering of the torso and limbs. Observe the balance – or perhaps, deliberate imbalance – achieved through the distribution of light and dark, directing the viewer's eye around the composition. What does the repeated angularity suggest to you? Editor: I guess the angles emphasize the sitter’s pose and the hard lines of the chair, further contributing to that feeling of unease, maybe even detachment, I noticed initially? Is there significance to the medium used? Curator: Absolutely. The choice of pencil, with its inherent capacity for subtlety and tonal variation, allows for a nuanced exploration of form. The artist’s process, visible in the layering of lines, reveals the development of the composition. Also note the significance of "Untitled" implying a lack of prescribed intention. Considering the emphasis on pure form rather than narrative, might we be witnessing a distillation of the artist's gaze, purified by a reductive approach? Editor: That’s a good point; the focus really is on the shapes and forms, regardless of emotion. Curator: Precisely. We might thus see Diebenkorn grappling with problems of representation itself, using the nude as a vehicle for compositional innovation rather than an end in itself. Editor: That completely reframes my initial view! I was caught up in the figure, but the real subject seems to be line and shape. Thank you!