Untitled [female nude with arm raised to eyes]
1955-1967
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
conté crayon on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 27.9 x 21.6 cm (11 x 8 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Phyllis Diebenkorn
Accession Number
2000.141.428
Art Historical Context
Richard Diebenkorn's *Untitled [female nude with raised to eyes]*, created between 1955 and 1967, captures an intimate moment of vulnerability through conté crayon on wove. This modest 11 x 8½-inch drawing exemplifies Diebenkorn's shift during the mid-1950s from Abstract Expressionism to the Bay Area Figurative movement, where he explored the human form with fluid, expressive lines. The conté crayon—a compressed charcoal-powder medium—allows for rich tonal contrasts and bold gestures, lending the figure a sense of immediacy and emotional depth on the smooth wove paper surface. The pose, with ...
About the Artist
Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr. (1922-1993) was one of the premier American painters of the postwar era, whose deeply lyrical abstractions and figurative works evoked the shimmering light and wide-open spaces of California. Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in San Francisco, Diebenkorn became a pivotal figure in elevating the status of California art on the international stage. His career encom...