Untitled [female nude in a dark armchair] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this nude in a dark armchair with charcoal on paper, but its date is unknown. I love how the composition is built from dark, almost scribbled lines that feel both tentative and decisive. Looking closely, you can see how the charcoal is layered, with some areas densely packed and others more sparse, letting the paper breathe through. The lines around the figure’s face are particularly evocative, capturing a sense of vulnerability, or maybe even introspection. The way Diebenkorn uses the charcoal, it’s almost like he’s feeling his way through the form, line by line. It's a process of discovery. This reminds me of other artists like, say, Giacometti, in their shared interest in capturing the essence of the figure through expressive, gestural marks. It is a process of embracing the unfinished, and the ambiguous, of searching for answers in the act of making.