untitled [standing female nude with right arm behind back] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink drawing of a standing female nude, with her right arm behind her back, at an unspecified time. Look at the fluidity of the ink, how it bleeds and pools on the page! I imagine Diebenkorn's hand moving quickly, decisively, trying to capture the essence of the figure before him. The woman almost merges with her shadow, which makes me wonder, was he interested in her form or the shapes made by light and dark? There's something vulnerable and raw about this drawing. It's like a fleeting glimpse into a private moment. But maybe that’s what Diebenkorn was going for? His figures often have this quiet, introspective quality, like they’re lost in thought. In this work, he is inspired by and in conversation with many artists - from Matisse to de Kooning. He seems to be asking questions around how to see and represent the human form in different ways, and the possibilities of abstraction.