Untitled [kneeling female nude looking down] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This drawing, *Untitled [kneeling female nude looking down]*, is by Richard Diebenkorn and was created sometime between 1955 and 1967, using graphite on paper. The sketchy quality makes it feel very immediate, almost like we're catching a glimpse of a private moment. What's your take on this work? Curator: What interests me most is Diebenkorn's deliberate choice of graphite and paper. During this period, abstract expressionism often favored grand, large-scale oil paintings. Diebenkorn’s choice redirects our attention to the act of drawing, to the fundamental process of translating form and volume with humble materials. What kind of labor do you imagine goes into it? Editor: It looks really fast, almost like he's just capturing the pose before it disappears. Curator: Perhaps, but the pentimenti, those visible erasures and redrawings, tell a different story. There’s a struggle here, a conscious working-through of the form. This challenges the notion of the artist as solely a purveyor of aesthetic beauty, and emphasizes them as workers, grappling with material limitations. Does the figure's downward gaze change your read? Editor: I hadn't thought of that! It's interesting to consider the *process* of figuring something out, rather than the polished final product. It feels more real. Curator: Precisely. How might the social context influence the artist and our viewing experience, thinking about gender roles in the late 50s/60s when Diebenkorn made it, and now? Editor: I think understanding that Diebenkorn worked within—but also pushed back against—the dominant art world norms helps me appreciate his subtle rebellion. Curator: It's an interesting exploration of form and materiality that invites a deeper consideration of labor. Editor: Thanks, it certainly changed how I saw the piece. Now I can recognize some of those nuances and what the medium really offers.