Untitled [female nude seated in armchair with legs crossed] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled charcoal drawing of a seated nude, we don't know exactly when. It’s all about the line. A simple, direct, searching line. It's honest –you can see the artist thinking, feeling his way around the form. The charcoal is dry and a little scratchy. You can almost feel the texture of the paper. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the process. Look at how the lines overlap and create shadows. The negative space is as important as the figure itself. Notice the way Diebenkorn captures the weight of the body, the curve of the spine. I love the tangle of lines around the hands and knees, it's unresolved, but somehow completely right. I see echoes of Matisse here, but with a distinctly American sensibility. This drawing reminds us that art is a conversation, an ongoing exploration. It’s not about answers, but about asking the right questions.