Untitled [female nude backlit from right] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ‘Untitled [female nude backlit from right]’ with charcoal on paper. I can imagine the urgency of the marks as he worked quickly to capture the fleeting light on the model’s body. See how the charcoal is smudged and blended in some areas, like around her torso, creating soft transitions and depth. The face is just blanked out—an absence. It makes me wonder what Diebenkorn was thinking, focusing on the body's form while leaving the face undefined. Maybe he was interested in the universal quality of the nude, rather than a specific person's identity. Then there’s this contrast with the sharp, definite strokes defining the contours of her figure and hair. It's like he's playing with how much to reveal and conceal. Reminds me of a bit of a Cy Twombly kind of line quality and interest. The beauty of painting is that artists draw from one another, riffing on ideas and techniques across time.