Untitled [female nude resting on a bed with a striped pillow] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a female nude resting on a bed with a striped pillow using graphite on paper. It's all about the line, isn't it? Diebenkorn's use of line is so assured, so confident. He's not trying to hide anything. You can see the way the graphite moves across the page, sometimes thick and dark, sometimes thin and light. There's a real energy to it, a sense of the artist working quickly and intuitively. Look at the way he renders the figure's leg, the way the lines curve and swell to suggest the form beneath. It's almost sculptural. I love the way he leaves parts of the drawing unfinished, letting the white of the paper show through. It creates a sense of lightness and airiness, as if the figure is floating in space. The ghost of another drawing is also visible underneath, adding a layer of depth and mystery to the piece. For me, this piece has echoes of Matisse, another master of line and form. It's like they are in conversation across time.