Untitled [profile of a woman] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this sketch with ink on paper; a few quick gestures forming a head and body, seemingly emerging out of the ground. I can almost feel Diebenkorn’s hand moving rapidly across the page, urgently trying to capture an essence, a feeling, or a fleeting image in his mind's eye. There’s a real economy of line here. The dark, heavy strokes used for the hair contrast with the lighter, more tentative lines that define the body, suggesting a kind of weightiness or groundedness. I wonder if he was thinking of other artists who blurred the boundaries between figuration and abstraction? Ultimately, this drawing embodies a form of expression that embraces ambiguity. Diebenkorn isn't trying to give us all the answers; he's inviting us into a conversation, an exchange of ideas. It's about embracing the process and the endless possibilities that can emerge from a single mark on a page.