Untitled [seated woman with a ponytail turning away] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated woman with charcoal on paper. The heavy black lines that describe the figure are so charged, as if they were rapidly excavated out of the surface with a force that feels both tense and tender. I can imagine Diebenkorn circling his subject, trying to find his way into the form, but it's also like he's finding his way out, the lines creating a space of ambiguity. There's a real emotional depth to the image. You can feel the artist thinking, working, re-working. And even though it’s just a quick drawing, the pose echoes the way you can see Matisse drawing his models. This reminds me that artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another. It’s a process of exchange. It’s embodied expression, as he captures a figure through a series of provisional marks. It's not about a fixed interpretation, but about a space for multiple readings.