Untitled [model in skirt without top] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a model with ink on paper. It's all about the line. The lines are thin and quick, like he's trying to catch a fleeting moment. You can almost see his hand moving across the page. The lines aren't perfect, they wiggle and sometimes disappear, but that's what gives it its energy. It’s honest. Look at the way he draws the skirt, those vertical lines at the bottom aren’t describing the form, instead they are like musical notation, or a kind of shorthand. What makes this drawing sing is its unpretentiousness, its openness. It reminds me of Matisse, how he could say so much with so little, suggesting a whole world with just a few strokes. Ultimately, it celebrates the beauty of imperfection, the messy, human quality that makes art so compelling.