Untitled [female nude seated and turning away] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [female nude seated and turning away]", created sometime between 1955 and 1967, using pencil and ink. It's a very simple sketch, and the figure seems so...isolated. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a quiet resistance. The woman's turned back, rendered in such a spare style, speaks volumes. Diebenkorn was working during a period heavily influenced by abstract expressionism, yet he returns to the figure. Why do you think he positions the model with her back turned? What does that say about her gaze, her agency? Editor: Maybe she's rejecting the viewer's gaze? Turning away from expectations? Curator: Precisely. It's difficult to discuss the nude figure without acknowledging the male gaze, but here, there's a distinct lack of objectification. This woman possesses a certain interiority; she is not passively awaiting our appraisal. Consider also, that the timeframe in which it was produced coincides with second-wave feminism. Might this work reflect broader conversations around female subjectivity? How would this image be different if the artist were female? Editor: That adds a whole new layer! The lack of detail now seems more like a conscious choice, to avoid any kind of... reduction of the figure. It encourages you to consider her humanity rather than just her form. Curator: And what does the act of drawing, specifically with pencil and ink, lend to that message? The simplicity, the rawness… Editor: It feels more immediate, more vulnerable. Like a glimpse into a private moment. It really challenges the traditional power dynamics of the artist-model relationship. Curator: Exactly! And how do you think this interpretation alters your initial reading of isolation? Editor: It shifts from loneliness to self-possession. She’s alone, yes, but also sovereign. Curator: Precisely. I think that's something that lingers with me now as well.