Untitled [nude seated in an armchair and crossing her legs] 1955 - 1967

Editor: So, here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s “Untitled [nude seated in an armchair and crossing her legs],” likely made between 1955 and 1967. It's an ink drawing on paper, and I find the figure quite compelling. There's a rawness to the line work that’s both simple and expressive. How do you interpret this work, especially considering the period it was created in? Curator: Considering the socio-political context of the mid-20th century, this piece exists within shifting dialogues around the representation of women. The gestural abstraction challenges conventional approaches to the nude figure, which historically often catered to a male gaze within academic traditions. What do you think that abstraction contributes to the experience of viewing this figure? Editor: I guess it pulls back from objectification by not giving you perfect clarity or hyper-realism. You see the body, but the strokes sort of interrupt that simple viewing, almost demanding a deeper engagement with the work rather than simple observation. Curator: Exactly! Diebenkorn subverts the established order by prioritizing his subjective experience of the model. The visible brushstrokes and unfinished quality shift the focus from the model's identity or attractiveness towards a consideration of the act of seeing, of the power dynamics inherent in portraiture. Does knowing this affect how you see other nude works, in galleries for example? Editor: Absolutely. I think it makes me much more critical. You can't unsee the social aspects once they are pointed out, and the power structures within institutions like museums that determine what’s seen and how. This one seems different now...almost revolutionary for its time. Curator: I think that’s well observed, yes, by challenging us to question our preconceived notions about art and its place in shaping culture. Editor: Well, I'll never look at a nude drawing quite the same way again! Curator: Excellent, that’s precisely what encountering art should do, change the way you think!