Untitled [head of reclining woman] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, "Untitled [head of reclining woman]," with ink on paper; there's no date for the piece. Diebenkorn’s line here is searching, immediate; you can see the artist thinking as he goes, letting the drawing emerge through the process of mark making. I’m drawn to the way the woman’s face is rendered – those almond eyes and somewhat geometric nose give her an air of serene detachment. Then my eye drifts down to where her hand clutches her foot, and the line becomes thicker, more insistent. It makes me wonder, what's she feeling? Is it discomfort, or something else entirely? It's this kind of ambiguity that makes Diebenkorn's work so compelling, and it reminds me a little of Matisse's drawings – that same effortless line, that same sense of capturing a fleeting moment. Ultimately, it’s not about fixed meanings, but about the ongoing conversation between artist, subject, and viewer.