Untitled [seated female nude leaning to her side] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled drawing, "[seated female nude leaning to her side]," by Richard Diebenkorn, likely made between 1955 and 1967. It’s a simple pencil sketch, but the figure’s posture feels so weighted and deliberate. What do you see in how the composition conveys a sense of form through these simple lines? Curator: The power of this drawing lies precisely in its articulation of form through line. Note how Diebenkorn doesn't rely on shading or chiaroscuro in the traditional sense, but rather employs a dense network of hatched lines. Consider, for example, the rendering of the torso: these clusters not only delineate the volume of the body but also suggest a certain weight and density. The figure is both present and fragmented. Editor: Fragmented how? Is that just because it’s unfinished, a sketch? Curator: Not entirely. The drawing teeters between pure representation and something approaching abstraction. Notice where the lines stray beyond the expected contours, creating planar shifts and ambiguities. This tension – the negotiation between observed reality and the artist's subjective response – is what I find most compelling. Are you tracking with how this adds dynamism to an otherwise static subject? Editor: I think so! So, it’s the way the lines create shape and imply volume, but also depart from it, creating something new? What is the function of having so many lines that it becomes almost abstract? Curator: Precisely. Think of these lines not as mere descriptors but as structural elements. They aren’t there to merely represent what is, but to construct a new visual reality. Semiotically, they defer a clarity that suggests that there's something just out of reach, not quite explainable. Editor: It’s like he's deconstructing the nude even as he’s drawing it. This reminds me of what we talked about in class regarding Modernist anxiety and abstraction. Thanks, that helps to put it into perspective! Curator: Absolutely. These close readings enrich not only your perspective but also mine.