Untitled [reclining nude stretching our her left arm] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a reclining nude, stretching out her left arm, with what looks like graphite on paper. The image emerges from a series of marks, a process of building form and space. Look at the heavy, dark scribbles creating a backdrop for the figure. There's a real sense of the material at work here, the smudged texture of the graphite contrasting with the blank paper. You can almost feel the pressure of Diebenkorn's hand as he moved across the page. Note the lines that define the figure are more delicate, softer. The contrast between light and dark creates a dynamic tension. Think of Matisse, especially his drawings of reclining nudes. Diebenkorn echoes that history, yet he also pushes against it with his own abstract sensibility. The drawing isn’t so much about capturing a likeness, but about exploring form, space, and the act of seeing itself. Art is a conversation across time, a way of seeing and re-seeing.