Untitled [female nude resting with her right leg in the seat] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Editor: Here we have Richard Diebenkorn’s “Untitled [female nude resting with her right leg in the seat] [verso]” made with ink sometime between 1955 and 1967. It’s got this immediacy to it; it feels like he just quickly captured a fleeting moment. What catches your eye when you look at this work? Curator: Oh, the delicious, daring fluidity of it all! I feel as if I’ve stumbled into Diebenkorn’s private sketch journal. Look how he lets the ink pool and bleed – almost like the model's presence is still echoing on the page. And yet, within this spontaneity, there’s such considered construction. See how the darks create depth, almost pushing the figure forward? Editor: Yeah, I noticed that. It's kind of bold, the way he just lets the ink do its thing. Is this characteristic of Diebenkorn’s process? Curator: Absolutely! Diebenkorn was a master of controlled chaos. He’s balancing representation and abstraction. I bet that in life class he wasn’t aiming for photorealism; rather, to bottle that essence, the raw energy of the figure. It's less about anatomical precision and more about capturing a feeling. Doesn't it feel very private, very…human? Editor: I get that. It's way more engaging than just a technically perfect drawing. Curator: Exactly! For me, there’s such truth in that imperfection, such poetry in the visible process. What will you take away from this piece? Editor: I will never be afraid to leave traces and maybe a little smudge to be more truthful and capture some feelings while drawing. Curator: Here, here! Now I am seeing myself making marks and letting them bleed on my canvas! Let the ink flow!