Untitled [reclining nude resting on her left side and raising her right arm] 1955 - 1967

Curator: Good morning. Welcome to this intimate work by Richard Diebenkorn. This is an untitled ink drawing, made sometime between 1955 and 1967, portraying a reclining nude. Editor: The drawing has such a dreamy, hazy quality. She's reclining, seemingly relaxed, almost lost in thought. Is she content, or is there a sense of longing? Curator: The ambiguity is deliberate. Note how Diebenkorn uses bold strokes to define form but leaves so much to suggestion. The composition uses negative space as an active element. Her pose is classic academic art, echoing odalisques but with an expressionist application. Editor: You are absolutely right, you feel the expressionistic energy, but I love the freedom. He is less concerned with faithful representation, and more invested in feeling the subject matter—the pure emotion. What is she feeling at this moment? That arm raised to the sky suggests vulnerability and the bold ink application speaks to that. Curator: Precisely! It touches on intimacy but does so through the artist’s translation and not necessarily by the act of the nude figure alone. There's also something to be said about the implied narrative with that staff behind her. Does it create boundaries, or is it mere happenstance? Semiotically, its meaning is less clear. Editor: Right, like she just arrived and leaned that long stick or spear or whatever, right against her. The staff is like, “I protect this space!” Diebenkorn makes you part of the conversation. It does invite inquiry into narrative. The choice of material—the fluidity of ink—also amplifies this emotional quality and feeling of immediacy. Curator: Ultimately, it’s the careful consideration of light, shade, and line that coalesces this work into more than a mere life study. It really speaks volumes of Diebenkorn's profound technical understanding. Editor: For me, I think the technical stuff creates the vulnerability and honesty. You see a moment, rendered with love and thought. Diebenkorn understood something fundamental about the human form, but, more importantly, the emotional resonance it carries. Curator: Indeed, and this drawing exemplifies Diebenkorn's capacity to distill complexities of form into accessible visual language, that allows for diverse perspectives. Editor: To see, truly see this, this makes my soul quiet down. I feel a sense of calm in such expressionist execution.