Untitled [reclining female nude with legs apart] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s "Untitled [reclining female nude with legs apart]," created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It's an ink drawing, mostly abstract but also clearly figural. It has such bold strokes, and feels… unfinished? What's your take on it? Curator: I see a fascinating exploration of materiality and process. Look at the density of the ink, how Diebenkorn uses layering and blurring to build the form. It speaks to a very specific post-war attitude towards the body – one that's concerned with its constructedness, with how it’s *made*. Editor: Constructedness? How so? Curator: Well, consider the context. Abstract Expressionism was dominant, and artists were grappling with depicting reality after trauma. This nude isn't just "observed," it's actively built up from material, ink, and paper. Notice how the brushstrokes deny any smooth, idealized representation. The *process* of making is prioritized, foregrounded. Does this resonate with your understanding of the period? Editor: I get that. The focus shifts from simply representing the figure to the physical act of creating it. The visible brushstrokes and the somewhat harsh, angular lines emphasize that physicality. Curator: Exactly. It almost seems he is wrestling with the means of representation, not just the subject. Think about the kind of paper used. Was it mass-produced? Handmade? Every choice, from the ink itself to the support, influences the final product and tells us something about the artistic and economic climate in which Diebenkorn was working. Editor: It’s interesting to consider the cultural impact of something as simple as the available art supplies. Now, looking again, I appreciate the roughness and honesty in Diebenkorn’s approach to the body and the artmaking. Curator: Precisely. By acknowledging the labor involved and the properties of the materials, we can understand this drawing not just as a representation of a nude, but as a material document reflecting its time.