Untitled [seated female nude] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated nude with ink on paper. The lines have a real immediacy; they feel fresh, like he’s working something out. The whole thing has a provisional feel, like one idea drawn on top of another. You can really see the way Diebenkorn is feeling his way around the form. Look at the dark strokes that define the figure's left leg, the density and texture of the marks. They’re built up with these short, quick strokes, almost scribbled. It gives the leg weight, volume, and a sense of groundedness. Then, notice how the lines around the torso and shoulders are lighter and more searching. It’s like he’s using the ink to feel out the edges of the body, testing the boundaries of the form. This drawing reminds me of work by Giacometti. There’s a similar sense of the figure emerging from a network of lines, a feeling of constant searching and adjustment, rather than a static representation. It’s like Diebenkorn is showing us not just what he sees, but how he sees.