Untitled [seated woman in coat with fur collar] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink drawing of a seated woman, we don't know when exactly. The lines are so alive, aren't they? Like he's thinking through the pen. There's a looseness, a vulnerability, but also a real confidence in the way he lays down those marks. Look at how the ink pools and spatters, especially around the coat and the head. It's like the drawing is breathing. You can almost feel the weight of the ink on the page, the way it bleeds and spreads. For me, it's not just a portrait, it's a record of a process, of Diebenkorn's hand moving across the paper, figuring things out as he goes. You see echoes of Matisse in that bold, economical line. Both artists remind us that art is a conversation, a constant back-and-forth between looking, feeling, and making. And that the most interesting art is often the most ambiguous, the most open to interpretation.