Untitled [standing female nude with left hand on hip] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a standing female nude, probably with ink on paper. It's all about that confident line, isn't it? I can just see Diebenkorn, maybe in his studio, quickly capturing the essence of the figure. The ink almost seems to drip in places – like the line is alive and fluid. He's not fussing over details; instead, he's laying down these bold, sweeping gestures that define the form. I always wonder what it’s like for an artist when they find the line that works – the one that nails the tension of the pose, the weight of the body. There is something immediate about it - a continuous movement without any corrections. You can sense the artist's certainty as they capture the model's gesture in one shot. This drawing reminds me that art is a conversation – an ongoing dialogue between artists across time. Diebenkorn, like so many of us, was looking at what came before, riffing on the old masters, and bringing his own vision to the table.