Untitled [reclining nude with her head back] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a reclining nude, we don't know when, and with what looks like charcoal or graphite. Diebenkorn’s lines remind me that artmaking is a process of discovery, not just a way to represent something "out there." Look at the way he’s built up the form with layers of marks, some dark and assertive, others light and tentative. There’s a real sense of searching for the right line. The lines are not overly concerned with precision; instead, they capture a feeling, an impression of the figure. The open quality of the drawing allows us to bring our own imagination to the work, filling in the gaps and co-creating the image with the artist. I think of other artists like Matisse, who similarly used simple lines to evoke a world of sensuality and emotion. For both, it’s about the suggestion, the hint, the poetry of the mark.