Untitled [standing nude resting her arm on her belly] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This drawing, likely from between 1955 and 1967, is an ink and charcoal nude by Richard Diebenkorn, and strikes me as very gestural. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Notice how the strong dark strokes define not just the figure's form, but also seem to express a particular psychological state? The pose, with her arm resting on her belly, suggests a kind of inward contemplation, doesn't it? The rapid, almost calligraphic marks create a sense of immediacy. Editor: Yes, the strokes are very powerful! Is the adjacent chair important? Curator: Absolutely. The chair, rendered with similar forceful strokes, might symbolize domesticity, a kind of everyday reality anchoring the figure. How do you think the artist's use of stark contrasts plays into this dynamic? Editor: It emphasizes the difference between the represented and the real! It also isolates her, which can speak to something existential. Curator: Precisely. And think about the tradition of the nude throughout art history; often charged with themes of ideal beauty and objectification. Yet here, the raw application of ink challenges those notions. This resonates within Abstract Expressionism which he flirted with here. Editor: That's true; this feels very personal. Thank you! I’m now viewing this nude in such a fresh and enlightening light.