Untitled [woman in [profile with cloth over head] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn created this untitled drawing of a woman, using ink on paper, sometime during his career. Diebenkorn is most associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement in California in the 1950’s and 60’s. He was part of a generation of artists who wrestled with the legacy of abstract expressionism, and the need to either continue or reject the non-objective approach of artists like Jackson Pollock. This drawing is a good example of the way that many artists in post-war America were trying to find a middle ground. The gestural, energetic lines are a clear nod to abstract expressionism. However, he brings back the figure, a subject that had been largely abandoned by the New York avant-garde. This signals a return to recognizable subject matter. To understand Diebenkorn’s figuration, you could explore the archives of Bay Area art schools. Here, we can place his production within the history of American art institutions.