Untitled [two reclining female models] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of two reclining women with charcoal on paper. Look at the marks and the subtle way they suggest the forms of the bodies. You can see how he felt his way around those curves, the charcoal almost caressing the paper. I like to imagine Diebenkorn in his studio, maybe squinting at the models, trying to capture the way the light falls across their skin. He's not just copying what he sees; he's translating it, abstracting it. The lines aren't just outlines, they're like pathways, showing us how he's thinking about space and volume. It reminds me of other artists like Matisse, who also used line in a really sensual way. It’s all part of this ongoing conversation that painters have, reaching across time and space, borrowing and riffing off each other's ideas. It makes painting such an alive thing.