Untitled [female nude drying off] 1955 - 1967

This drawing by Richard Diebenkorn, called Untitled [female nude drying off], consists of confident black marks on paper. It's all line, line, line! I like to think about what Diebenkorn was thinking when he made this. Was he trying to capture a likeness? Or was he more interested in the shapes, the negative space, the way the light hits the body? Maybe both? The line is so assured, so fluid, it's almost like he's not even looking at the model. I feel like I can see him making it, standing back, squinting, then leaning in to make one decisive mark. It reminds me a little of Matisse. Artists are always in conversation with each other, borrowing ideas, pushing boundaries. It’s a constant exchange of ideas, across time, inspiring creativity. It's a process, just like painting itself.