Untitled [seated female nude with hand to chin] 1955 - 1967

Editor: So, this is Richard Diebenkorn's "Untitled [seated female nude with hand to chin]," made sometime between 1955 and 1967, using ink on paper. There's a rawness to it that I find compelling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see Diebenkorn grappling with the traditional nude, but through a decidedly modern lens. The figure is both present and absent, defined by bold strokes yet dissolving into abstraction. Think about the post-war era – anxieties around the body, representation, and identity were ripe. Is he engaging with or resisting the male gaze, given his gestural mark-making? Editor: Resist? How so? Curator: Well, instead of idealizing the female form, he disrupts it. The gestural abstraction can be seen as a challenge to traditional, objectifying representations of women in art history. Does the pose strike you as confrontational, passive, or something else? Editor: It’s definitely not passive. There’s a sense of contemplation, maybe even defiance in the way she’s posed. Like she's owning the space despite the vulnerability of being nude. Curator: Exactly! And considering abstract expressionism's emphasis on the artist's inner world, this could also be seen as Diebenkorn exploring his own relationship with the female form, questioning established norms, and opening a dialogue about seeing versus objectifying. Editor: That shifts my perspective quite a bit. It makes me think about the artist's role in either perpetuating or challenging societal views of gender and representation. Thanks! Curator: And consider how we, as viewers, participate in that dialogue too. Thinking about whose gaze we inherit when looking at art is something crucial that I'll be pondering long after this.