Reclining Figure II 1962

Richard Diebenkorn made this "Reclining Figure II" as a print. The way he’s layered these colors, it feels like he’s thinking out loud, showing us his process of seeing and remaking the world through art. You can almost feel the paper, can't you? The texture comes through even with these bright inks. There’s something very physical about it, not just the reclining figure, but how the colors push and pull against each other. Look at how the red scratches over the figure, like a fever dream, contrasting with the cool blues. It’s like he’s wrestling with the form, letting us see the struggle. The blocks of color at the base ground the image but also add to the tension, pulling our eye down. Diebenkorn’s process reminds me of Matisse, both using color to create space. Each artist presents a world that’s both familiar and utterly new.