Untitled [standing female nude with long hair] 1955 - 1967

This is a drawing, standing female nude with long hair, by Richard Diebenkorn. You can almost feel the paper and the ink. The quick, gestural lines, like a dance, give the figure form. Looking at this drawing, I imagine Diebenkorn totally absorbed, maybe in a room with a model, or maybe just from memory. The ink is both confident and tentative, feeling out the space, trying to capture something fleeting. See how he uses thin washes and bold strokes? It's like he's thinking aloud with the brush. The lines aren't perfect, but that's the point, right? It's about the process of seeing and recording, not about creating a perfect representation. It reminds me of Matisse and his simple line drawings, but with a West Coast vibe. You get a feeling he's not trying to show off, but really trying to look and understand. That's what makes it so honest and alive.