Untitled [side view of man seated and sketching] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled sketch of a man with graphite on paper, and it feels like an intimate glimpse into the artistic process. The lines are so delicate and tentative, it’s like watching the idea of a figure come into being. There’s a real vulnerability in leaving the construction of the image so visible, you can almost feel the artist working to capture the essence of the seated man in these fleeting lines. Look how some of the lines seem to double back, to correct or reinforce a shape – it's like Diebenkorn is thinking through drawing. The paper itself has these beautiful warm, creamy tones with some age spots adding to the overall intimacy of the piece. I love the way the figure is both present and absent, there is a light touch, a feeling of not wanting to pin anything down too firmly. This reminds me of some of Matisse’s line drawings, where the simplest of marks create a whole world, a kind of magic trick that invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, always in process, never truly finished.