Untitled [head of a reclining woman] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, ‘Untitled (head of a reclining woman)’, with charcoal on paper. The way Diebenkorn lays down the charcoal feels searching and exploratory. It's like he's feeling his way through the form, not trying to capture a likeness but to understand how a head occupies space, how it rests. The smudged, almost hazy quality of the charcoal gives it a dreamlike feel, as if we are seeing a memory or a fleeting impression. Look at the way he renders the hair, thick and dark, almost like a heavy curtain, versus the lightness of touch on the face. There's a real contrast between these areas and that range of tone, from almost black to almost white, that creates a sense of depth and volume. Diebenkorn shares a similar sensibility with artists like Matisse, in his ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, to elevate simple, everyday scenes to moments of profound beauty and contemplation. Ultimately, it's about the process, the act of seeing and recording, rather than any fixed idea or outcome.