Untitled [seated nude leaning forward on crossed leg] 1955 - 1967

This is an untitled drawing of a seated nude made by Richard Diebenkorn. It's a study in charcoal, a medium that's both immediate and forgiving. You can see the layering, the artist going over lines, searching for the form. It’s about the process as much as the final image. There’s a real physicality to the piece. The charcoal isn’t blended, it’s raw, with a texture that mimics the subject, the weight and volume of the figure. Look at how the lines around the torso are dense and scribbled, a kind of energetic hatching. It’s like Diebenkorn is wrestling with the form, trying to capture not just the shape, but the feeling of the body. For me, this drawing speaks to the influence of artists like Matisse, that same love of line, the exploration of form through simple means. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation, an ongoing exploration, not a fixed destination.