Untitled [seated nude clasping arms around legs] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [seated nude clasping arms around legs]", a pencil drawing made sometime between 1955 and 1967. It’s a very simple drawing, but the posture seems to convey such a sense of introspection, or perhaps even melancholy. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Precisely. Note the economy of line. Diebenkorn uses line to create form, but importantly, also to define the *absence* of form. The negative space becomes as crucial as the positive. Observe how the lack of detail, particularly in the face, contributes to the universality of the figure. It transcends individual identity. Editor: So, you're saying the incompleteness is intentional, not a flaw? Curator: Precisely. It focuses the viewer’s attention on the structure of the pose itself—the interplay of curves and angles, the tension in the limbs. It allows us to consider the pure geometry of the human form. Notice the strategic placement of shadow— the way it defines volume. Ask yourself what sort of expressive energy is unleashed as the simple strokes coalesce to communicate the figure's volume. Editor: I see what you mean about the interplay between positive and negative space now. And thinking about it as geometry makes me think about his later abstract works. Curator: Indeed. There's a clear link to be made there. By stripping away the extraneous, Diebenkorn arrives at the essence of form itself. This reduction encourages us to focus solely on the artistic decisions and what these lines inherently communicate. Editor: Thanks. I definitely understand how the focus on composition and line leads to the emotional impact of the work. I never would have picked that up myself. Curator: Absolutely. And in turn, hopefully, it is a point we shall keep in mind when viewing art in the future.