Untitled [nude female torso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled charcoal drawing of a nude female torso at some point in his career. It’s interesting to me, looking at the way the charcoal sort of fades in and out, how the drawing is almost a ghost of a body. You can really see the artist feeling around for the form, using these quick, almost hesitant marks. The texture of the charcoal on the paper is so present, you can almost feel the roughness of the medium. I’m drawn to the way the lines around the figure’s left side trail off. It’s like the body is dissolving into the background. The artist doesn't labour on details, and this gives the piece an incredible sense of life. Diebenkorn, like many artists, clearly looked at Matisse for inspiration, but he brings his own West Coast sensibility to the work. It’s this ongoing conversation between artists across time that makes art so exciting, it isn't about fixed meanings, but a constant exploration of new ways of seeing and feeling.