Untitled [seated female nude with left arm resting on knee] 1955 - 1967

Curator: Before us we have an untitled drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, dating roughly from 1955 to 1967. It depicts a seated female nude rendered in pencil. Editor: My first impression is one of vulnerability, but also immense composure. There’s a kind of contained energy in the way she’s holding herself. Curator: Precisely. Diebenkorn's economy of line is striking here. Observe how few strokes are used to define the form, yet the suggestion of weight and volume is undeniable. It begs the question of the nature of representation itself; what, in its minimal state, makes this an evocative nude. Editor: And within this socio-political context, that feels pointed, doesn’t it? He omits the face, which serves, perhaps, to challenge the idea of the individual—maybe an intentional disruption of the male gaze. It’s a very understated critique of power. Curator: I see your point. Though I would argue that removing the face could just as easily emphasize pure form and shape rather than deny identity. What the body occupies in space is much more prominent because of it, I think. See the relationships of curves in dialogue with the harder lines of the chair. Editor: Perhaps, and in fairness the ambiguity may have been part of his point. Consider, also, how many depictions of the nude from this period centered on the male artist and the passive female subject. This is a different approach; the positioning makes it harder to look, turning our gaze back on us. Curator: Certainly the positioning offers an interplay of visibility and concealment. It is a carefully calibrated study in implied form rather than a brazen display. Editor: Well, whatever Diebenkorn's precise intentions may have been, his pencil has granted us an encounter loaded with subtle, suggestive power, hasn't it? Curator: Indeed, it highlights the potential for nuanced visual relationships. There’s more here than initially meets the eye.