Untitled [female nude on the studio floor] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this untitled sketch of a nude, we don't know when, using pencil on paper. What I really love about Diebenkorn is his approach to drawing and painting as a method of thinking and finding new forms. In this nude, notice how the swift, delicate lines build up the figure, creating the impression of a body reclining in space. The network of marks seem to dance around the page and the various erasures create an added feeling of movement and dynamism. I'm really drawn to the area around her hand, just how it's barely sketched but it gives enough information to know what it is. This reminds me of Matisse and his incredible ability to capture form with very few lines. Diebenkorn's sketch offers us a space for our own imagination and perception to take over. Art, for me, is about that ongoing dialogue between the artist and the viewer, inviting us to participate in the act of creation.