Untitled [seated female nude in an open shirt] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated nude with an open shirt, and like many of his works on paper, it’s about the sheer pleasure of mark making. There's a beautiful, almost nonchalant quality to the line, confident and direct. It reminds me of Matisse, but with a distinctly American bluntness. The ink isn’t fussy. Look at the space between the legs – that nervous energy! Those dark, scribbled lines feel like the most ‘honest’ part of the whole drawing. Diebenkorn makes it seem so easy, but that’s the magic, right? It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be labored over to be powerful. Sometimes, it’s about capturing a feeling with the most economical means possible. It's like he's saying, “Here, this is what it felt like to be in the room with this person.” Just enough.