Untitled [nude in an armchair with her right leg up] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a nude in an armchair with ink on paper. What strikes me is the restless line, the way he goes over and over the form, as if he’s trying to nail it down but also let it breathe. You can feel him thinking, adjusting, finding the pose. The ink is stark, economical. Diebenkorn doesn't waste a single stroke. Look at the way he defines the contours of the figure, how the lines thicken and thin, creating a sense of depth and volume. I love the messy hatching around the arm and chest, it’s like a little storm of marks. That hand propping up her chin is really something - so delicately rendered, it's almost floating. You know, this reminds me of a Matisse drawing, that same kind of searching, fluid line. It’s like Diebenkorn is saying, "I'm part of this conversation, I'm adding my voice." It’s a really beautiful example of how art is never really finished, it just keeps morphing and changing through artists and time.