Reclining Figure II 1962

This is Richard Diebenkorn’s "Reclining Figure II," a print featuring a palette of blues, yellows, and reds. I can almost feel Diebenkorn working on this. Layering colors, shifting the figure, wiping away mistakes. It’s all about the energy of the hand as it moves across the plate. The figure is formed by a series of etched lines, while the planes around the body are big blocks of color. I can sense Diebenkorn's dialogue with Matisse here. He's pushing and pulling, searching for form through color, line, and shape. Look at the way the blue is applied so heavily in the top corner! It’s like he’s building up atmosphere and space. And notice the red triangle—just this pop of color that feels both deliberate and accidental, like a jazzy improvisation! Artists build on each other’s ideas all the time. It's like a big, messy, beautiful conversation that has been going on for centuries.