Untitled [portrait] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled portrait with graphite on paper. I love how the sketch emerges from the ground with this network of delicately applied lines. I imagine the artist with a stick of graphite in his hand, leaning in close, trying to capture something true about the person in front of him, and maybe even more so, about himself. I think of Agnes Martin saying that she doesn’t paint feelings, she paints situations. Maybe Diebenkorn is doing something similar here. The way he models the figure with these wandering lines is full of intention and feeling. His line is so elegant and responsive, a bit like Matisse in his ability to capture the essence of a subject. Painters are always in conversation with one another, borrowing and building on ideas across time. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings.