Untitled [nude resting on her back with her legs up] 1955 - 1967

Here is a drawing made by Richard Diebenkorn, using graphite on paper. The composition immediately strikes us with its dynamic arrangement. The figure, a nude woman, is splayed across the picture plane, her legs raised, creating a sense of disequilibrium. Diebenkorn's use of line is critical here. The lines are not delicate, but raw and expressive, delineating form while simultaneously flattening the space. The hatching and cross-hatching create tonal variations that suggest volume, but also contribute to the overall surface texture. This emphasis on the materiality of the drawing aligns with a broader modernist sensibility. Diebenkorn, like many artists of his time, was interested in how the act of representation could also reveal the processes of making. Observe how the figure interacts with the rectilinear forms of the room. The tension between the organic curves of the body and the geometric shapes of the environment creates a visual push-and-pull, destabilizing any fixed interpretation of the scene. This interplay reminds us that art is not about capturing reality, but about constructing it.