Untitled [seated female nude facing left] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn created this "Untitled [seated female nude facing left]" with ink and charcoal, and the quick, layered process is so evident. It feels like he’s thinking through the image right in front of us. Look at the contrast between the blue ink lines that define the figure and the more smudged, shadowy charcoal that fills in the space around her. The charcoal seems to push the figure forward. The electric blue lines keep the composition alive; it’s not just a static image. There's such an energy in the way he uses line, almost like he’s mapping out the space and the figure simultaneously. Diebenkorn reminds me of Matisse. Both artists are focused on the pleasure of looking and the joy of translating that experience onto paper, embracing the provisional and the open-ended nature of art-making. It's like they're saying, "Here’s what I see, but it could be something else too."