Untitled [seated female nude with head in left hand] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink drawing of a seated female nude on paper, and what strikes me is the economy of line, the way he suggests form with so few marks. It's like he's thinking out loud with his pen. Look at the line that defines the model's left leg, how it curves and swells, then thins to almost nothing. It's a beautiful balance between control and looseness, a dance between intention and accident. The smudges of ink add to that feeling, like he wasn't afraid to let the process show. This reminds me of Matisse, especially his line drawings. There's the same sense of ease, the same ability to capture the essence of a subject with just a few strokes. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection, it's about exploring, experimenting, and finding beauty in the unexpected.