Untitled [nude reclining on her right side] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a nude reclining on her right side, we don't know when or where, and we don't know what he was thinking! But it looks like he was trying to find a way of seeing, not just copying what was in front of him. Look how he keeps the lines open and lets them float around the form. The charcoal almost feels like it’s breathing on the page. The texture of the paper becomes part of the drawing, like skin under the lines. I’m drawn to the lines around her head, where he’s redrawn the form a few times, as if he was feeling his way around it, trying to find the right expression, or maybe just enjoying the act of looking. You can see this approach in the work of Matisse too, that kind of searching line, a conversation between the artist and the subject. Drawing like this isn't about capturing a likeness, it's about the process of seeing and feeling.