Untitled [woman seated in armchair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated woman with what looks like graphite on paper. It is all blacks, whites and grays. I see the artist going back into lines, correcting, searching, almost like he’s feeling his way around the form, trying to pin it down but also letting it breathe. I sympathize with him—that struggle to capture something elusive. I’ve been there! Look at the shading on the woman’s dress, how it gives weight and volume to the image. Diebenkorn has a way of making something so solid from just a few lines. It reminds me of Matisse, but with a more restless energy. It’s like he’s saying, "I’m not sure, but I’m going to keep looking until I find something that feels right." And that’s what art is all about, isn’t it? A conversation, a search, a way of seeing the world that’s always changing.