Untitled [seated woman with cup to mouth] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [seated woman with cup to mouth]", a graphite drawing from between 1955 and 1967. The figure feels immediate, almost like a fleeting glimpse. What catches your eye about it? Curator: Well, for me it's the pure process on display. Look at how the graphite is applied—these energetic, almost frantic lines. The drawing isn’t about mimetic representation; it is about the labour and material means. The blurring of the figure into pure material abstraction undermines a capitalist art market that prizes refined finished work, instead the audience engages with raw material and artistic work. What are your thoughts? Editor: That's interesting! I was focusing on the intimacy of the subject, but I see your point about the artistic labor now. Curator: Exactly! Consider the socio-economic context. This work was produced during a period where labor and mass production were major issues in the cultural conversation. The fast execution of this drawing acts in direct opposition to them, the sketchiness of which renders obsolete and inaccessible to the techniques of production so lauded in art’s recent industrial and technological advances. Editor: So, by focusing on the immediacy and material nature of the drawing, Diebenkorn is commenting on larger societal trends around labor and consumption? Curator: Precisely! And remember, even the simple act of acquiring and using graphite and paper involves economic and social structures. His artistic practice makes visible social consumption itself! What are your overall thoughts? Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. I went from seeing just a simple portrait to understanding the commentary on labour and consumption that informs the piece. Curator: It's amazing how focusing on materials and context can transform our understanding, isn't it? It provides such fertile new ground.