Untitled [standing female nude with arms akimbo] 1955 - 1967

This is an undated drawing of a standing female nude with arms akimbo by Richard Diebenkorn, made with ink on paper. Diebenkorn’s lines are so confident here, aren't they? Like he knows exactly where he’s going, but then, there are these little wobbles and overlaps, especially around the shoulders and torso, that suggest he's open to discovery, changing his mind, letting the hand lead. It reminds me that drawing is not just about seeing, it's about feeling, about the body's memory. Look at the way the ink pools in certain spots, giving a weight to the lines, a physicality. Notice those little dashes down the center of the figure. Are they a shorthand for the muscles of the stomach, or just playful marks activating the space? I love that the drawing exists in this ambiguous space between representation and abstraction, each mark contributing to a feeling as much as to a form. Thinking of other artists, there is a touch of Matisse, or maybe Milton Avery, in the pared down approach, but with a distinctly American looseness. It feels very Diebenkorn. For me, these are just suggestions, a starting point for your own looking and thinking.