Untitled [seated female nude holding right leg] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, Untitled [seated female nude holding right leg], using what looks like ink on paper. The line is wiry and confident, like a jazz solo, figuring out the shape as it goes. It's all about the process, isn't it? Diebenkorn isn’t fussing over details. See how the ink pools in places, giving weight to the contours? He’s not trying to hide anything. The marks are immediate, almost impatient. That little scribble that suggests the toes – so quick, so sure. It reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings, where a few strokes capture the essence of a form. I like how the blank face makes you wonder about her inner life, like she’s lost in thought. It's this kind of openness, this embrace of ambiguity, that makes art so endlessly fascinating. It reminds me, in a way, of my own process, where I try to stay open to whatever emerges on the canvas, letting the painting guide me, rather than the other way around.