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

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, a seated woman with a ponytail turning away, with dark, almost brutal marks on a pale ground. The drawing is not about perfect lines, but rather the process of finding form through repeated gestures. I love the raw, material feel of this piece. You can practically feel the charcoal scratching against the paper. The lines are thick and confident, yet they waver and overlap, revealing the artist's hand at work. Look at the way he renders the chair, it’s more felt than seen, a space defined by bold strokes that barely contain the figure. It’s about a search, not a statement. Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series comes to mind, with its similar balance of structure and spontaneity. Both embrace the beauty of imperfection, reminding us that art is not about answers, but about the ongoing conversation of seeing and feeling.