Untitled [reclining nude in stockings leaning on her right arm] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a reclining nude in stockings, at an unknown date with charcoal on paper. It's all about process, you know? What strikes me is the confidence in the marks, how he lets the charcoal wander and find its way around the form. Look at the way the lines build up the shadow on the stocking, how they almost vibrate with energy, but without losing the sense of the leg underneath. The texture is raw, immediate – you can almost feel the scratch of the charcoal on the page. There's a real tension between the precision of the observation and the looseness of the gesture. That wandering line reminds me of Matisse, but with a distinctly American grit to it. And, for me, it's a reminder that art is never finished, only abandoned, and maybe that's the beauty of it.