Untitled [seated female nude locking arms with a reclining one] 1955 - 1967

This drawing of two female nudes was made by Richard Diebenkorn, with graphite on paper. There’s a real sense of process here, it's all about the act of looking, the artist trying to capture the essence of the figures. The lines aren’t perfect, they’re searching, and that's what makes it so interesting. You can almost see Diebenkorn's hand moving across the paper. The way he overlaps the figures creates a kind of spatial ambiguity, which messes with your perception. The arm of the seated figure, how it merges with the reclining one. It's not about a smooth surface but the energy of the lines. Diebenkorn had a deep love for Matisse, and it's visible here. This drawing is a wonderful example of how artists can engage in a visual conversation across time. The beauty lies in the ambiguity, in the questions it raises rather than the answers it provides.