Untitled [woman seated in an armchair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a woman in an armchair with ink on paper. Look at the way Diebenkorn uses line—it's all about gesture, a kind of searching. You can almost feel his hand moving across the page, trying to capture the essence of the figure. The lines aren't precious or overly refined; they're raw and immediate. See how some lines are darker, thicker, and more confident, while others are light, tentative, and almost disappearing. The negative space is as important as the figure itself, creating a sense of airiness and openness. The hand that rests in her lap, for example, is beautifully rendered, but it's also unfinished, dissolving into the surrounding space. This reminds me a little of Matisse, who shared this interest in the power of simple lines. And, just like with Matisse, the beauty is in the imperfection, the vulnerability, and the willingness to embrace the unknown.