Untitled [woman reclining in glasses] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a woman reclining in glasses with what looks like charcoal on paper. What I love about Diebenkorn’s marks is that they're so assured, even when they're tentative. It’s like watching someone think on paper. You can see the texture of the charcoal, how it catches on the page, especially in the darker lines defining her face and shoulder. Notice how the glasses aren't really there, just implied by these soft smudges. The line travels around the form, sometimes heavy, sometimes broken, never quite closing, which gives the whole thing a feeling of being open and unresolved. I’m reminded of Matisse’s line drawings, that same kind of searching and finding. Art isn’t about answers, it’s about the questions we ask along the way.