Untitled [seated nude female model leaning on stool] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled sketch of a seated nude model leaning on a stool, and right away, I'm drawn to the way he's used line. It's not about perfection; it's about process. You can see where he’s gone over lines, adjusted them, almost like he’s thinking aloud with the charcoal. The texture of the paper plays a big part here, doesn't it? The charcoal grabs onto it, creating this lovely, slightly rough surface. Look at the way the light catches the model's back and shoulder, it's almost sculptural. There's something really honest and vulnerable about it, but at the same time, it's powerful, confident. Notice how the lines describing the stool on which she rests are very angular, contrasting with the curve of her body. Diebenkorn's early work was heavily influenced by artists like Matisse, and you can see that same attention to form and composition in his drawing here. It's a constant conversation, this art-making thing. There's no one right answer, just different ways of seeing and feeling.