Untitled [female nude turned to the side in a Windsor chair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a nude in a chair with what looks like big, juicy brushstrokes of black paint on paper. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Diebenkorn, his mind racing, trying to capture not just what he saw, but also what he felt. The paint is applied so directly, you can almost see him wrestling with the image, coaxing it into being. Look at how he’s built up the form of the figure with these broad, confident strokes. The dark paint creates a contrast against the stark white background. The body looks solid and present, but it's also somehow dissolving into the surrounding space. That loose handling reminds me a little of de Kooning, but the composition is so different. It's like Diebenkorn's trying to find a balance between representation and abstraction. This feels like a conversation, not just with himself, but with all the other artists who have grappled with the human form.