"Diebenkorn's shift from abstract landscape to a more figurative style that had begun in 1954 can be seen in this painting. The artist maintained that works such as this one had been partly influenced by his friends Elmer Bischoff and David Park, who had turned away from landscape toward the figure.... From their examples, he learned to paint the sole figure - newly imbued with a level of human psychology - embedded...." http://www.theartstory.org/artist-diebenkorn-richard-artworks.htm#pnt_2