Untitled [nude seated resting her head and arm on chair back]
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
2000.141.273
Art Historical Context
Richard Diebenkorn's *Untitled [nude seated her head and arm on back]* (1955–1967) captures an intimate moment of repose, rendered in delicate graphite on wove paper. Measuring just 11 x 8½ inches, this drawing exemplifies Diebenkorn's shift the mid-1950s from bold abstract expressionism to the Bay Area Figurative. Influenced by peers like David Park and Elmeroff, he returned to the human form, exploring everyday scenes with a fresh, personal lens amid the post-World War II American art scene. The graphite medium allows for subtle tonal gradations and fluid lines, highlighting Diebenkorn's ma...
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...