Untitled [reclining female nude with right arm outstretched] 1955 - 1967

This drawing of a reclining nude, with right arm outstretched, was made by Richard Diebenkorn, but we don’t know exactly when. Look closely and you’ll see how the lines feel tentative, searching, like the artist is mapping out the figure with his pencil. I can imagine Diebenkorn in his studio, circling the model, squinting, trying to capture the essence of her form. The lines are so delicate, almost hesitant, yet they convey a real sense of weight and volume. See how the arm extends, reaching out into space, creating a feeling of openness and vulnerability? Diebenkorn was known for his abstract paintings, but he always returned to figuration, to the human form. It’s as if he needed that connection to the real world, as a starting point for his explorations. He was in conversation with artists like Matisse, constantly pushing the boundaries of representation and abstraction. For Diebenkorn, and for all of us artists, drawing and painting is a process of inquiry, a way of seeing and experiencing the world in all its complexity.