Untitled [rear view of standing female nude with arm behind her back] 1955 - 1967

This drawing was made by Richard Diebenkorn and it's simply called "Untitled [rear view of standing female nude with arm behind her back]." Those are some pretty descriptive lines he’s laid down, right? I’m thinking about his hand holding the pen, tracing that figure. It's a confident line, not too precious. There’s something about the way he captures the curve of the back, the slight tension in the arm held behind. I can imagine Diebenkorn really looking, and I mean *really* looking, at the model. Not trying to copy her exactly, but trying to get at something essential. What was she thinking? Was she tired? Was she warm enough? He manages to capture something vulnerable in the pose, which is pretty cool. There's a confidence in the line that has its roots in Abstract Expressionism, maybe a little de Kooning in there, softened by a California light and touch. It’s like he's saying, "Here's a nude, but it's also a drawing, it's also about line and form, it's also about feeling". We are all constantly borrowing and responding to each other.