Untitled [female nude seated on a stool drinking] 1955 - 1967

This drawing of a seated nude drinking, by Richard Diebenkorn, is all about line, the way one mark leads to the next. You can almost feel his hand moving across the paper. The texture comes from the charcoal – those crumbly bits that catch the light and the way he’s layered the marks to suggest volume. Look at how the lines around her left arm get thicker and darker, giving it weight. It’s a subtle thing, but it makes all the difference. The process isn't hidden, it’s the point! There’s a real tenderness in this drawing, a vulnerability. It makes me think of Matisse, his line drawings have a similar kind of immediacy and honesty. It’s like we’re catching a glimpse of something private, a moment of quiet contemplation. And that's what art is, isn't it? A conversation, a sharing of ideas, a way of seeing the world.