Untitled [head of a woman looking down in three-quarter view]
1955-1967
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite 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
2000.141.506
Art Historical Context
Richard Diebenkorn's *Untitled [head of a looking down in three-quarter]* (1955–1967) captures an intimate moment of introspection through a simple yet evocative graphite drawing on wove paper. Created during Diebenkorn's pivotal from Abstract Expressionism to the Bay Figurative movement in the late 1950s, this work reflects his renewed interest in the human form after years of bold abstractions. The three-quarter view and downward gaze evoke quiet vulnerability, a hallmark of his figurative phase influenced by California light and everyday observation. Measuring just 11 x 8½ inches, the mode...
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...