Untitled [female nude resting in a dark seat] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a female nude in a dark seat with ink and wash on paper. It's all about the process, isn't it? I mean, look at how he's layered the washes, almost like he's building up the shadows, letting the ink bleed a little. And then those quick, confident lines on top. It’s like he's thinking through the form, right there on the page. The texture’s amazing, you can almost feel the grain of the paper. Then there’s this interplay between the dark, saturated areas and these light, almost ghostly lines suggesting her body. That dark shape behind her, it’s not just a background, it’s pushing her forward, making her more present. It makes you wonder what he was thinking about with this figure. It’s got that raw, unfinished feel, like you’re seeing the artist's thought process. Sort of like Guston’s late ink drawings. A conversation between friends, maybe? Anyway, it’s definitely not about perfection; it’s about something much more interesting.