Untitled [two female nudes reclining together] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled ink drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It depicts two female nudes reclining together. What strikes me most is how raw and unfinished it feels, like a fleeting glimpse of a private moment. How do you read the intimacy here? Curator: Intimacy is a fascinating word choice. For me, these figures evoke a feeling of stillness and inward reflection. Diebenkorn often stripped away the superfluous, leaving behind the essence of form and emotion. Notice how the line work, though minimal, suggests weight, volume, and, yes, a kind of quiet connection. Do you see how the positioning almost implies a kind of sheltering? Editor: I see it now. There's something very gentle about how one figure rests against the other. The spare lines create this vulnerable, open atmosphere, right? Curator: Exactly! It’s almost as though the unfinished quality invites us, the viewers, to complete the scene with our own projections and feelings. It's as much about what isn’t there as what is. Do you get a sense of classical poses refracted through a very personal lens? Editor: I hadn't thought of that, but yes! There's definitely a classicism, like echoes of Matisse, or even Renoir. Something very modern refracted with that old sensibility. That's amazing. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Art is just that, it asks questions about how our senses meet the moment. What we’ve found is more than brushstrokes, that's a relationship between feeling and insight. Isn’t it great how a simple drawing can stir up so much?