Untitled 1951

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled painting, and it feels like he was feeling his way through it, adjusting and responding as he went. The colors are muted, mostly grays and creams, but they create such a beautiful, complex surface. There's a real push and pull between the different shapes, like a conversation happening right there on the canvas. Look at how he layers the paint, some areas are thick and opaque, while others are thin and transparent, allowing the layers underneath to peek through. There's this one long, horizontal line that runs across the middle of the painting, anchoring the composition. It's not perfectly straight, it has a slight wobble to it, which gives it a human quality. It reminds me of the lines in a Cy Twombly painting, or maybe even some of the quieter moments in a Joan Mitchell piece. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is not about perfection, but about the messy, beautiful process of trying to make sense of the world.