Untitled [nude seated with her left foot pulled under her] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated nude with charcoal, on paper. Look at the energy in those marks. I imagine Diebenkorn's hand moving quickly, trying to capture the essence of the figure before him, maybe in a single sitting. You can almost feel the pressure he applied, varying from light, feathery strokes to dark, decisive lines, all contributing to a sense of volume and weight. Those raw marks create a sense of immediacy and intimacy. It's as if he’s sharing his direct experience of seeing, thinking, and feeling. He’s not trying to copy the figure, but to reveal his process of trying to capture the form. He might be thinking about Matisse, or maybe even going all the way back to Ingres. Ultimately, the history of art is a never-ending conversation, and each artist contributes their own unique voice to the dialogue.