Untitled [woman drinking from cup] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a woman drinking from a cup with what looks like charcoal on paper. The smudgy lines give it a raw, immediate feel, like a fleeting moment captured in a few strokes. I can imagine Diebenkorn quickly sketching, trying to nail the pose and the mood. You know, that cozy, introspective vibe when you’re sipping something warm. It’s so Diebenkorn to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. The way he uses those dark, scribbled lines to define her form, it’s like he’s wrestling with the image, searching for its essence. There's a certain vulnerability in the sketchiness. You see echoes of artists like Matisse in his work, that same love for simple lines and everyday scenes. Artists are always building on each other, riffing and responding across time. That’s the beauty of it. And for me, painting is about that, trying to capture a feeling, a thought, a moment, and letting it stay open, unresolved.