Untitled [the pedicure] 1955 - 1967

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s “Untitled [the pedicure]”, likely created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It’s a pencil drawing. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Immediately, there’s an unexpected intimacy here. A quiet, domestic scene rendered with such simplicity, almost childlike in its lines. It speaks to a vulnerable self-care ritual. Curator: Absolutely. Let’s delve a little deeper. Considering the time period, it’s tempting to view this drawing through a feminist lens. A woman engaged in self-care, possibly critiquing societal expectations of female beauty rituals as performed for male audiences and flipping that idea with this quiet drawing that feels really personal, made from life. What’s communicated here, the quiet, private acts often not depicted… Editor: The attention she’s giving her feet, though... Foot washing and anointing has appeared for centuries in religious iconography symbolizing humility, cleansing, or preparation for a sacred task. Do you think there might be a connection there? Curator: It’s a compelling reading, given Diebenkorn’s interest in mundane subjects. Though unlikely intentional on the artist’s part, we cannot help but note how the act, on the body, is fraught with symbolic meaning for the sitter. Could this image signify an act of personal renewal or a subversion of conventional gender roles, too? A claiming of her space, her body? Editor: Possibly. And yet, there's a sense of detachment in her gaze, she doesn't seem particularly happy or sad. A universal kind of disconnect perhaps, even when you try to ground yourself in an embodied experience. This figure seems like a person looking inward. Curator: That's beautifully observed. Considering how fleeting those private moments are in anyone's existence, that very stillness grants a degree of solemn importance to those seconds. The subject might even seem aware she is being depicted in this vulnerable state. Editor: That's a lot to unpack from one unassuming little drawing. Thank you for guiding us through these readings. I have seen so many images of people, it helps to sometimes look through these ideas so I can come up with something fresh. Curator: It has been equally enriching exploring with you the interplay of the image’s cultural and emotional resonances. I feel a stronger connection with this scene now, ready to continue and dive into the social, artistic and historical context behind another art piece.