Untitled [standing female nude with left hand raised to chin] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this brush and ink drawing of a standing female nude, we're not sure exactly when. What really grabs me here is the sheer confidence in the line, how he captures the figure's weight and form with such immediacy. The ink is fluid, almost watery in places, creating these gorgeous washes that suggest shadow and depth. Then you get these bold, decisive strokes, like around the face and torso, where the ink is almost black, creating a real sense of drama. The hand raised to the chin – it’s just a few flicks of the wrist, but it speaks volumes about the model's pose and mood. It’s like he’s thinking aloud with the brush, each mark a gesture, a feeling. You see this kind of directness in Matisse's drawings too, that same ability to distill the essence of a subject with minimal means. It reminds me that art is really a conversation, an ongoing exploration, where clarity and ambiguity intertwine.