Untitled [three studies of a violinist playing] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made these three studies of a violinist playing with what looks like blue ballpoint pen on paper. You know, I can just imagine Diebenkorn quickly capturing the violinist's shifting postures. There’s this lovely, restless energy in these lines, like the artist is trying to catch a fleeting moment. I’m picturing him, intensely focused, watching the musician, and letting his hand just fly across the page, trying to get the essence of the pose. And then I think about the violinist, too, lost in their own world of music, maybe not even noticing Diebenkorn watching them so intently. It's like two artists in conversation, each in their own language. These studies, with their loose, searching lines, also remind me of other artists, like Matisse, who had this incredible ability to distill form down to its most essential elements. Diebenkorn’s like a jazz musician here, riffing on a theme, improvising with line and form. It's a beautiful reminder of how art can be about capturing not just what we see, but also how we feel and experience the world.