Untitled [nude reclining in studio] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this nude reclining in a studio with what looks like pencil on paper. It’s all about the line, isn’t it? That simple gesture creating form, space, volume. Like a roadmap of the body. The beautiful thing about drawing, and Diebenkorn knew this, is that you can see the artist thinking, the process laid bare. There's the initial line, confident and bold, then a softer, ghostlier line next to it, a correction, a second thought. And another faint figure emerging behind, searching for the right pose. It’s like we’re in the studio with him. Look at the curve of the back, how one simple stroke describes the whole landscape of the body. It’s all about suggestion, and the power of suggestion. Diebenkorn’s line here reminds me of Matisse, that same economy and elegance. But also, like Cy Twombly’s scribbles, where the act of making is as important as the image itself. Art is an ongoing conversation, a back-and-forth, each artist adding their own voice.