Untitled [torso of standing female nude] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled drawing of a standing female nude with ink on paper. The line has a quality, doesn’t it? It is the kind of line that feels like it was done quickly, intuitively. It is almost casual, though it is clear that the artist has an understanding of the figure. It is pretty minimal, there is just the line and the paper, but that's enough. If you look closely, you can see how the ink pools in places, how the pressure of the pen or brush changes the thickness of the line. There is a big drip of ink on the model’s left arm. The splatters, drips and mistakes are left in, embraced even, which makes it feel very honest and immediate. Diebenkorn reminds me of Matisse, who also had a really great, simple, elegant line. Just like Matisse, Diebenkorn shows that art doesn’t have to be complicated to be good. It's about seeing and feeling.