Untitled [seated nude touching her left temple] 1955 - 1967

This ink drawing by Richard Diebenkorn shows a seated nude touching her temple, and I love it. Can you see how the image kind of floats on the page? Like he caught her, just for a moment. Imagine Diebenkorn's hand moving quickly, trying to capture the essence of the figure. He's not fussing over details. Look at those lines. They wobble and drip, totally alive. It’s as if he's saying, “Here, I saw this, and now you see it too, but don’t think too hard about it.” It reminds me of Matisse's line drawings, simple but full of feeling. I can almost feel the artist's breath as he lays down each mark. It's a reminder that art doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be honest.