Untitled [seated nude holding her shoe] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This drawing, from between 1955 and 1967, is another "Untitled" piece by Richard Diebenkorn. It depicts a seated nude, rendered in pencil, holding what appears to be a shoe. I’m struck by how raw and gestural it feels; the lines are so immediate and unrefined. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, seen through a historical lens, this drawing reflects the shifting artistic climate of the mid-20th century. Diebenkorn's movement towards abstraction, yet retaining the figure, becomes significant. The subject matter, the nude, while traditional, is treated with a modern, almost detached, sensibility. Editor: Detached in what way? Curator: The rapid lines and obscured features don’t idealize the body. It's about capturing form and gesture more than portraying an individual. And look at when it was created, during a time of social upheaval and questioning of established norms, even traditional subjects were interrogated. What do you think the role of depicting women this way might have been? Editor: I hadn’t thought about the politics of representation, I just noticed how the visible mark-making and the unfinished quality give it a very personal and intimate feeling, like catching a glimpse of the artist's process, a negotiation between figure and form, so a move away from idealizing femininity seems plausible. Curator: Exactly, and it also moves away from a narrative of simple observation towards reflecting societal unease and searching for new modes of representation. Looking closely can uncover how artistic traditions relate to the contemporary socio-political issues. Editor: It's amazing how a simple drawing can reflect so much! I’ll never look at another nude the same way. Curator: That is the beauty of approaching art through history; you uncover complex narratives and learn that nothing is truly simple.