Untitled [seated female nude with foot on table and arms behind head] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated female nude, probably in his studio, with graphite on paper. I can imagine Diebenkorn circling the model, rapidly charting her form. Look at how the lines feel tentative and searching, as if he's trying to capture not just what he sees, but also what he feels. There’s a real dynamism between observation and invention. The materiality of the graphite creates texture, and contributes to the emotional resonance of the work. I love the confidence of the marks as they dance across the page. It makes me think about other artists like Matisse, who were also masters of line and form, each building upon the other's explorations. Artists are always talking to each other across time, riffing off each other’s ideas. And it's never about getting it "right," but about embracing the process and finding new ways to see the world.