Untitled [portrait] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this portrait drawing using black crayon on paper. Can you imagine him holding that crayon, pressing it to the paper, smudging and layering to build this face? I love how the strokes around the eyes are both delicate and fierce, giving a sense of vulnerability and strength at the same time. It's like he's searching, both in the face he's drawing and within himself. The lines are tentative, almost unsure, but they come together to create this really powerful presence. Thinking about it, Diebenkorn was always trying to find that balance between representation and abstraction, between feeling and form. It is a question that many artists continue to ask themselves, and in this dialogue, this conversation, they inspire one another to explore and experiment. So, what do you see in this face? What does it make you feel? There's no right or wrong answer!