Untitled [standing nude with her arms crossed] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled nude drawing with her arms crossed, likely in the mid-20th century, using charcoal on paper. The immediacy of the charcoal lines gives it a real sense of the artist’s hand in the process. There's something very direct about the marks here – not overworked, just enough to give you the form. Look at the way he’s handled the shading around the figure’s lower body, almost scrubbed into the paper, compared to the simple outline of the arms. It's a study in contrasts, right? Diebenkorn’s nudes always remind me of Matisse – that casual, confident line, but with a distinctly American feel. It’s this conversation between artists across time that makes art so alive, always echoing and responding to what came before. It's not about answers, it's all about the questions.