Untitled [standing nude with her left foot on a chair seat] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this drawing, Untitled, of a standing nude in ink and charcoal on paper. The first thing that grabs me is the way Diebenkorn uses a kind of searching line; it’s there in the blue, mapping out the figure's form with a confidence that isn't afraid to be a little clumsy. The smudgy charcoal gives a weightiness to the figure, contrasting with the delicate washes that suggest the space around her. Look at how he renders the shadow behind the model. It’s almost like another figure, pushing forward. Then there are these floating, blobby shapes near the top, defying easy interpretation. Are they a pattern on a curtain, or just an experiment with form? Diebenkorn's drawing reminds me of Matisse, but with a rawer edge. You can see him working through the problem of the figure, not trying to smooth it out, but letting the process itself be visible. That’s what makes it feel so alive.