Untitled [female nude seated in armchair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled female nude seated in an armchair with ink. Look at these strokes! See how they both define the form, but also dissolve it? I can almost feel him circling the figure with the brush, searching for the right line, the right weight. And it’s all in monochrome, which makes it both immediate and timeless. I can imagine Diebenkorn, maybe listening to jazz, intensely focused, trying to capture the essence of the figure, not just its appearance. That dark splash suggesting the figure’s breast, the way the chair kind of zigzags into place… It reminds me of other artists like Guston, who wrestled with figuration and abstraction. All that ink can feel pretty raw, and intimate. Ultimately, painting is about this conversation that never ends, where artists challenge and inspire each other. It is a process of trying to grab a feeling, or an idea, even when you know you’ll never quite get there.