Untitled [seated nude with resting her head on her knee] [verso] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing of a seated nude, resting her head on her knee, with what looks like a graphite stick. I can imagine Diebenkorn working and reworking the figure, trying to capture the pose in front of him. You can see the ghost of previous lines, of slight shifts and adjustments. It’s like he's circling around his subject, searching. It's interesting to see the body presented as just line. The overall effect is soft and gentle. I am thinking about how the human form can express so much emotion with so little tonal modulation. This simple choice is bold and beautiful. Diebenkorn used a similar visual language and vocabulary in his paintings. He was obviously in conversation with many other artists, like Matisse. Painters are always inspiring each other through time. I love how it embodies ambiguity and uncertainty. Like it’s open to multiple interpretations.