Untitled [figure group] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of figures with an unknown medium on paper. The marks feel exploratory, as if Diebenkorn is feeling his way around the forms. It’s that awkward, vulnerable stage of artmaking where the drawing almost exists but is still searching, still becoming. The charcoal? - or whatever it is, maybe conte? - has a beautiful density, especially in the darker outlines that define the figures. Look at the way the artist uses line to suggest weight and volume, but also how the lines are broken and sketchy, allowing the figures to almost dissolve into the background. There’s something really intimate about the way the figures are arranged. The seated figure, embraced by another, creates a sense of comfort and connection, and the two standing figures, slightly detached, add a layer of complexity. I keep thinking, maybe, this drawing is like a stage set, but for what kind of play? I’m reminded of other figurative artists who worked with similar themes of human connection and isolation, like Egon Schiele, maybe. Diebenkorn’s drawing is a reminder that art is often about the questions we ask, rather than the answers we provide.