Untitled [seated nude with her arms behind her head] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this unnamed ink drawing of a seated nude, and what strikes me is its directness. The marks are so bold, almost clumsy, but somehow, they capture the essence of the figure. It's like he's not trying to be perfect, just real. The ink is thin and watery in places, pooling to create darker accents, while elsewhere, dry brushstrokes give a sense of texture. I’m drawn to the way the lines describe the curve of her arm, echoed in the line of the chair, creating a sense of space and depth with such simple means. Look at the confidence in the marks, and how they suggest so much with so little! I see echoes of Matisse in Diebenkorn’s line, but with an American directness all his own. It’s this tension between influence and innovation that makes art so exciting—an ongoing conversation across time, open to endless interpretations.