Untitled [profile of a woman on telephone] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, of a woman on the telephone, with charcoal on paper. What I love about this piece is the way Diebenkorn uses line to define form, but also to create this amazing sense of depth and space. The hatching, the parallel lines that build up the shadows on her arm, it's not just about describing what he sees, but also about the physicality of drawing. You can almost feel the pressure of the charcoal on the paper. See that one dark, almost aggressive stroke under her chin? It’s like he’s digging into the surface, trying to find the weight of her head, the tension of the moment. Diebenkorn reminds me of Matisse, in that way they both seek a similar simplicity. It reminds us that art isn't about perfection, but about the conversation between the artist and the medium. It’s about embracing the messiness, the ambiguity, and the multiple possibilities that emerge in the process.