M.W. 1962

Curator: This intriguing work is simply titled "M.W." a pencil drawing executed by Richard Diebenkorn in 1962. Editor: There's an immediate vulnerability to this portrait. The rough, almost frantic lines convey a raw emotional state; contemplation verging on despair. Curator: I agree that Diebenkorn’s approach emphasizes the dynamism of line. Note the economy of means – he uses only pencil, creating a complex layering effect which produces a striking figure-ground relationship. It shows how he was rooted in Abstract Expressionism while moving into figuration. Editor: How much of that so-called 'figuration' was accepted, given his already recognized work in abstraction? Surely this departure invited scrutiny? Curator: Certainly. But Diebenkorn, with his sensitivity to the push and pull of abstraction and realism, invites the viewer into the arena of post-war artistic uncertainty. It's visible through the ways he leaves visible construction lines – the act of searching becomes integral to the piece. Editor: Yes, the incompleteness speaks volumes. It’s less a polished depiction of 'M.W.' and more an exploration of the very nature of identity itself. I wonder about the social dynamics within the Bay Area art scene in shaping these explorations. Curator: His work embodies the tensions of post-war American art and society at large. It oscillates between private contemplation and wider cultural engagement. His self portraits such as this one are testaments of artistic introspection and connection with art. Editor: Introspection definitely emerges strongly from "M.W." - a testament of line, identity, and mid-century restlessness. Curator: Agreed, a fascinating window into the artist's process and perhaps, ourselves.