Untitled [seated female nude with left arm on chair back] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled drawing of a seated nude using charcoal on paper. It’s all about the process, isn’t it? The charcoal lines feel immediate, like he’s thinking through the form right in front of us. There's a real confidence in the thickness of those lines, defining the figure with an economy that still manages to suggest volume and weight. Look at the way the charcoal smudges and feathers out in places, giving it a kind of breath, a softness that plays against the starkness of the lines. And then there's that arm, the one resting on the chair back, rendered with such bold strokes it almost feels sculptural. Diebenkorn’s nudes always remind me a little of Matisse, especially in the way he simplifies form down to its essence. There is something really special about the medium of charcoal. It's immediacy and vulnerability give the finished piece an aura of honesty. It's like a conversation between the artist and the subject, laid bare for us to witness.