Untitled [female nude seated in armchair and facing right] 1955 - 1967

This is a drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, a female nude seated in an armchair made with black charcoal. Look at how the figure emerges from the paper with minimal lines, Diebenkorn coaxes form out of the void. What was he thinking when he made this? I imagine Diebenkorn trying to find a balance between observation and invention. Notice how the lines suggest shadows and contours, not through meticulous detail but through a kind of shorthand. I can feel his hand moving across the paper, trying to capture the essence of the pose. Like a sculptor, he models with line, adding depth and volume. The weight of the charcoal feels so deliberate and intentional. It reminds me of other artists who were trying to capture the human form with just a few marks, like Matisse or even some of the early modernists. You can see how all these artists are in constant conversation, riffing off each other.