Untitled [seated female nude in stockings with crossed legs] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink on paper drawing of a seated female nude. The figure's pose, with crossed legs and downcast eyes, suggests introspection or perhaps even melancholy. Made in the United States, the work evokes the mid-20th century interest in representing the human form with both abstraction and psychological depth. Diebenkorn's choice of subject matter aligns with a long art historical tradition of the female nude, but the loose, expressive lines of the drawing mark a departure from idealized representations of women. The figure is not overtly sexualized, and her introspective mood lends her a sense of agency. To fully understand this drawing, we might consider the social norms of the time regarding the representation of women and the nude form. Examining exhibition records and critical reviews from the period could shed light on the reception of Diebenkorn's work within the broader art world, and reveal the dialogue between art and the social context in which it was made.