Untitled [female nude with arms behind head]
1955-1967
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 40.6 x 27.9 cm (16 x 11 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Phyllis Diebenkorn
Accession Number
2000.141.338
Art Historical Context
Richard Diebenkorn's *Untitled [female nude with arms behind head]*, created 1955 and 1967, captures a moment of intimate vulnerability through fluid pen and ink on wove paper. Measuring 16 x 11 inches, this modest drawing exemplifies Diebenkorn's mastery of line and gesture during a pivotal shift in his career. Initially immersed in Abstract Expressionism, the mid-1950s he the Bay Area Figurative movement, joining peers like David Park and Elmer Bischoff in celebrating the human form against California's luminous landscapes. The nude pose—arms arched behind the head—evokes classical traditio...
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...