Untitled [seated nude with her leg crossed and leaning on her left arm] 1955 - 1967

Editor: This is an untitled nude drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, likely created between 1955 and 1967, rendered in pencil. I’m really drawn to the sort of relaxed intimacy it evokes. What feelings or ideas does it spark in you? Curator: Well, darling, it’s like stepping into Diebenkorn’s studio and catching a stolen moment, isn’t it? The unfinished background, the quick, confident strokes—it’s all so raw and immediate. She’s not posing, she's *being*, vulnerable and yet self-possessed. Does her gaze suggest anything to you? Is it defiance or weariness, or perhaps something else? Editor: I think I see a bit of both, maybe a quiet resignation? It's not overtly sexual, but there's definitely a sense of lived-in reality, you know? Curator: Exactly! Diebenkorn doesn't prettify or idealize. He sees her, and by extension, helps *us* see her, not as an object, but as a person. The slight awkwardness, the imperfect lines - it's precisely that imperfection that breathes life into the drawing. I imagine him really grappling with her essence there in that space and time. How does the academic training marry with modernism, do you think? Editor: Hmm, that's interesting. I see the academic influence in the traditional subject, but the loose, gestural lines feel very modern. Almost abstract in places! Curator: Yes! It's that beautiful tension between observation and interpretation, between tradition and innovation, that makes Diebenkorn so compelling. And I find her really sympathetic – maybe I see something of myself there, perched with a sketchpad. What do you think, now that you have looked longer? Editor: I totally agree. The more I look, the more nuanced it becomes. It's a really interesting example of how a seemingly simple drawing can hold so much complexity. Thank you, I really noticed so much more through your impressions! Curator: My pleasure, sweetheart! Art is nothing if not a conversation, an open window, or maybe an undiscovered doorway to the soul.