Untitled [seated female nude with right arm behind her head] 1955 - 1967

This drawing, made by Richard Diebenkorn, seems to be caught between a sketch and something more finished, right? I can almost see him circling the figure, trying to nail the pose, the weight of the body, the curve of the arm. It's all there in the searching lines. The way he renders the seated figure, it reminds me of Matisse, of course, and maybe a little bit of Picasso, filtered through Diebenkorn’s own cool, California light. Look at how he’s drawn the hand that’s behind her head. It’s like he’s barely touching the page, just suggesting the form, leaving it open for us to complete. That openness, that invitation to participate, is what makes drawing so special. I think about how the act of drawing itself is a conversation, an exchange between the artist, the model, and the medium. And now, between us too.