Untitled [seated nude leaning forward on her knee] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this intimate drawing with charcoal on paper. What a simple medium, right? But look how suggestive it can be. I can imagine him, stepping back, squinting, going in again—trying to get it down. He's using line, just line, to create a world. Look at the confidence of the marks! See how the weight of the line changes, thick and thin, describing the form. It’s a vulnerable pose, and I wonder what he was thinking when he made this. I bet he was looking, really looking, at the model, trying to capture not just her likeness, but the feeling of her presence. And maybe he was thinking about Matisse, or Picasso, or all the other artists who have drawn the human form. Artists are always talking to each other, across time, you know? It’s like a big, ongoing conversation. And that's what makes art so alive!