Untitled [side view of a female nude stepping with her right leg] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have a drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, simply titled "Untitled [side view of a female nude stepping with her right leg]", created sometime between 1955 and 1967. It’s a delicate pencil sketch on paper, and the pose feels very dynamic. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a return to an ancient story, retold. The stepping figure, the contrapposto stance… It echoes classical sculptures of goddesses, perhaps Venus preparing to step from her bath. But Diebenkorn strips away the idealization, revealing the human form in its imperfect beauty. How does that contrast strike you? Editor: It's interesting. I hadn’t considered those classical roots. The raw, almost unfinished quality definitely shifts the focus from ideal beauty to something more immediate and vulnerable. Curator: Precisely. The lines are sparse, yet they capture movement and weight. Consider the shadows—not meticulously rendered, but suggestive of volume. Diebenkorn uses just enough information to evoke the entire form. In what way is that a conversation with other artists portraying similar subjects? Editor: I suppose it’s more personal, less about adhering to established standards. Maybe he’s trying to get at something more honest. It feels very modern in that sense. Curator: Indeed. He seems to be inviting us to contemplate the female form outside of traditional, often patriarchal, frameworks. What remains when you strip away the layers of expectation? Perhaps the enduring strength and grace inherent in the human body. Editor: That’s a great point, and gives me a lot to think about. Curator: And for me, you clarified some aspects of the tension it holds, being both classical and modern at once.