Untitled [female nude in an armchair with right hand to forehead] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this ink drawing of a female nude in an armchair, and immediately I'm picturing him quickly capturing the figure in a flurry of gestural marks. It’s all done with these confident, dark strokes, that seem to both define and dissolve the form. See how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper? You can almost feel the wetness of the medium, like the drawing is still in the process of becoming. I imagine Diebenkorn circling around his subject, trying to nail that perfect balance between observation and abstraction. The pose feels so natural, her hand to her forehead. You can see the weight of her elbow on her knee. The drawing suggests an intimacy, like a stolen moment, between artist and model. Drawing in ink, so unforgiving, it really makes you focus and commit, right? It’s like a conversation between seeing and feeling. It feels like a dance.