Untitled [nude with hand behind her back] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn created this drawing, titled "Untitled [nude with hand behind her back]" using graphite on paper. Diebenkorn's faceless nude challenges the historical portrayal of women as objects of beauty within the male gaze, which has dominated art history. By omitting the face, Diebenkorn perhaps avoids a personal narrative, inviting us to consider the depersonalization of the female form and the suppression of individual identity. The lines are simple, almost clinical, but they carry an emotional resonance. The pose, with the hand behind the back, is both relaxed and constrained. The gaze is implied, imagined, and perhaps confrontational. The artist has said that "it's not about the figure, it’s about the feeling." This work exists as a quiet rebellion against traditional artistic norms, asking us to contemplate the power dynamics inherent in the act of looking and representing.