Untitled [seated female nude] 1955 - 1967

This seated female nude by Richard Diebenkorn is a dance of charcoal lines on paper; dark, confident strokes capture a figure caught in a moment of repose. I can almost feel Diebenkorn’s hand moving across the page, feeling for the right contours, smudging here and there. It's like he’s asking, "How do I make this flat surface feel like it has depth, like it breathes?" It’s interesting to see how he simplifies the figure, reducing the planes to their bare essence; the light catching her shoulder, the curve of her back. You know, making a nude is such a classic painterly problem. It's almost like artists are saying, "How can I keep this old conversation going, but make it new, make it mine?" And this piece, it feels like a very intimate, quiet moment between Diebenkorn and his subject. It’s a conversation that we are now lucky enough to be a part of.