Untitled [female nude reflected in mirror] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn sketched this female nude, reflected in a mirror, using graphite on paper. The mirror itself is barely there, rendered as a wheel-like form, yet its presence frames our interpretation of the subject. The motif of a woman gazing at her reflection has deep roots. Consider Aphrodite, rising from the sea, often depicted admiring herself. This act of self-regard becomes a complex symbol—a reflection of vanity, but also of self-awareness. The pose—reclined, relaxed—invokes a sense of vulnerability and interiority. Think of Titian’s Venus of Urbino, a source of endless interpretations on the female form and its psychological power. Diebenkorn's loose lines, however, feel starker, more immediate. The mirror has always been a signifier of truth but also illusion. This tension underscores the shifting, cyclical nature of symbols, eternally reappearing, transformed by the subjective lens of both artist and viewer.