Untitled [seated nude resting her right arm on an adjacent chair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled sketch of a seated nude, resting her right arm on an adjacent chair, most likely during the mid-20th century in the United States. Nude studies were a staple of academic art training, but here, the loose, gestural lines suggest a more informal, exploratory approach. Diebenkorn was a West Coast artist whose work bridges abstract expressionism and representational art. In postwar America, there was a tension between the desire to break free from traditional constraints and the need to find new forms of expression. Artists often looked to the human figure as a way to explore these ideas. This sketch, with its simplicity and directness, challenges the traditional nude, instead focusing on capturing a sense of presence and immediacy. To better understand this work, we might consult exhibition catalogs, biographies, and critical reviews of Diebenkorn's work, placing it within the context of the Bay Area Figurative Movement and the broader history of American art.