Untitled [front view of seated female nude] 1955 - 1967

This is a brush and ink drawing of a seated nude by Richard Diebenkorn. Look at the confidence of those marks, almost like he’s feeling his way around the form. It's all about the push and pull, isn’t it? I can imagine Diebenkorn wrestling with the image, trying to nail down the weight of the figure with these slashing strokes. See how he leaves the paper bare in places? That's part of the language—the negative space becomes just as important as the inked lines. The ink itself pools and bleeds, creating these unpredictable dark accents, while other lines are dry and scratchy, barely clinging to the page. He’s in conversation with Matisse, of course, and maybe a little Picasso, that idea of reducing form to its most essential elements, like visual shorthand. It’s a reminder that art isn't about perfection; it’s about the raw energy of seeing and feeling.