Untitled [standing nude with her left foot on a support] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a standing nude figure in pencil on paper. The mark-making feels immediate, like he’s trying to capture a fleeting moment, or a gesture. It's like he’s thinking through the process of drawing, allowing us to see the becoming of the image. There's a real physicality to the shading, areas where the pencil is darker and more intense, like on the upper thigh. You can almost feel the pressure he applied. Then, notice the tentative lines that define the figure’s back and shoulders. These lines aren’t fixed or certain, but rather searching, open. It creates a feeling of vulnerability. You can sense him figuring out the form, as if the drawing comes into being as we look at it. This openness, this willingness to let the process be visible, is something you also see in the work of artists like Giacometti. Ultimately, this drawing is an invitation to embrace ambiguity, to see art as a conversation.