Untitled [head seen simultaneously from two points of view] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn’s sketch presents us with an intriguing exploration of perspective through the motif of a face viewed from multiple angles. The superimposition of profiles invites us to consider the duality of perception. This notion of seeing from multiple viewpoints is not new. It echoes in cubist works like Picasso’s portraits, where faces are fragmented and reassembled, challenging our singular perspective. The doubling of features here—two noses, overlapping eyes—creates a sense of unease, a visual dissonance that disrupts our expectation of a coherent image. It reminds us that our understanding of reality is constructed, pieced together from fragments of sensory input and memory. In psychoanalytic terms, this dissonance might represent the fractured self, the conflicting aspects of our own identity struggling for dominance. It's a potent reminder that what we see is never simply what is there, but is always filtered through our own subjective lens.