Untitled [side view of nude raising her arms] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, side view of a nude raising her arms, with charcoal on paper. I wonder, when he picked up that charcoal stick, did he know exactly where he was going, or was it more of a dance? I imagine Diebenkorn, known for his abstract and figurative works, in a quiet space, maybe some jazz playing softly. The charcoal—thick, smudgy, and unforgiving, capturing the weight of the body with dark, broad strokes. You can almost feel the give and take, the artist's hand moving, erasing, and redefining the form. That single, looping line that defines the breast—it's a testament to the power of simplification, a confident, knowing gesture. Artists, we're all just scribbling on the walls of our caves, trying to figure things out, one line at a time, connecting to each other through time. It's never really about the 'what,' but always about the 'how' and the 'why.'