Untitled [figure lying down and raising elbow] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing with graphite on paper, of a figure lying down. I imagine Diebenkorn's process involved a give and take, a sort of call and response between eye, hand and paper. The lines feel tentative, searching. He's feeling out the form, not trying to capture likeness but more like mapping a presence. The raised elbow—it's a gesture of defiance, maybe, or just restlessness. You can feel the weight of the body sinking into the surface, whatever it is—a bed, a couch, a dream. It's interesting how he uses line to create volume, to suggest the space around the figure. The scribbled lines that define the hair feel particularly alive, full of energy. Diebenkorn, like so many artists, was in conversation with the world, with other artists, and with himself. And that’s how ideas evolve, change, and get turned on their heads. The conversation never ends.