Untitled [seated female nude in a short sleeve shirt] 1955 - 1967

This is an undated line drawing of a seated nude by Richard Diebenkorn. It's all about the gesture, the process of looking and responding. Notice how the black ink line never stops, just loops and curls and hovers around the page. It's like he's thinking with the ink, letting the line find its way around the figure. I love the way he captures the weight of the model's pose. It's not about perfection but about feeling the form. Take the model's right foot, for example. See how it's not exactly "right," but it's full of life, full of the energy of observation? It reminds me of Matisse's drawings – that same sense of playful, searching line. Both artists, in their own way, show us that drawing is a conversation, a dance between the eye, the hand, and the subject. It's not about getting it "right," it's about the joy of looking.