Untitled [seated nude resting her head on her right hand] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled drawing of a seated nude, resting her head on her right hand, with ink and graphite on paper. Diebenkorn's sketch presents a figure in contemplation, rendered through a style marked by simplicity, minimal detail, and fluid lines. In the mid-20th century United States, art institutions played a pivotal role in promoting abstract expressionism and, later, the Bay Area Figurative Movement, to which Diebenkorn belonged. This movement offered a counterpoint to pure abstraction by reintroducing the human figure. Diebenkorn's drawing, stripped of superfluous detail, shifts the focus to form and gesture. The sketch hints at a culture grappling with representation and identity in a rapidly changing social landscape. Historical records from that time and region, exhibition catalogs, and critical writings can offer a deeper understanding of the drawing. Ultimately, the meaning of this drawing lies in its dialogue with the social and institutional contexts of its time, something we can come to understand through diligent research.