Untitled [female nude in a dark setting] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink drawing of a female nude sometime in the mid-twentieth century, and it's all about the push and pull of dark and light. It's a study in contrasts, not just visually but also in how it feels. Diebenkorn lays down these big, bold strokes of ink, and then he lets the paper breathe, leaving these ghostly, pale areas. Look at the way the figure emerges from the dark background, how the light catches her shoulder and the curve of her hip. It’s like she’s stepping out of the shadows, but she’s still very much a part of them. And those drips and splatters? They’re not mistakes; they’re part of the process, part of the energy of the drawing. I think of artists like Franz Kline, who were also exploring the power of black and white and the expressive potential of gesture. But Diebenkorn brings a certain tenderness to it, a vulnerability that makes it feel deeply personal. For me, this piece is not just about the figure but about the act of seeing, of finding beauty in the unexpected.