Untitled [standing female nude with right leg on platform] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this quick, untitled sketch of a standing female nude, probably in charcoal, at some point during his career. It’s all about the energy of the mark making, isn’t it? He’s not trying to be perfect, just trying to capture the feeling of the figure. I’m really drawn to the way he’s built up the shadows with these dense, scribbled lines, especially around the head and shoulders. You can almost feel the pressure he was putting on the charcoal, like he was wrestling with the form. And then, in other places, the lines are so light and delicate, just barely suggesting the curve of a hip or the angle of a leg. Look at how he’s rendered the foot on the platform, it's a flurry of activity, a kind of abstract scribble that somehow still manages to convey the weight and balance of the figure. Diebenkorn reminds me of Matisse, who also had a knack for capturing the essence of a form with just a few, well-placed lines. It’s about suggestion, not description. It’s about leaving space for the viewer to fill in the blanks.