Untitled [reclining nude in stockings leaning on her right arm] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a reclining nude in stockings with charcoal on paper. You can almost feel the charcoal scratching against the page, right? Imagine Diebenkorn making this work, grappling with the weight and volume of the figure. I bet he wanted to get the pose just right. Check out those stockinged legs, so dark and full of tone. It’s a study in contrasts – the darkness of the stockings against the pale skin, a line here, a shadow there. The way he captures the light is masterful, especially on the torso. It reminds me a little of what Matisse was up to with his line drawings – trying to capture the essence of form with as few strokes as possible. It's all about finding the right balance between what to include and what to leave out. That’s the conversation that keeps artists going, generation after generation.