Untitled [seated female nude leaning forward and down] [recto] 1955 - 1967

Richard Diebenkorn made this graphite on paper drawing of a seated female nude. The strokes are so immediate, like the charcoal barely touched the paper. It’s as though he’s thinking through the body and the space, all in one go. Diebenkorn is mostly known for his paintings, but I think his drawings are where you see the process most clearly. Look at how he’s built up the darks around the chair and the figure's head. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the act of looking and responding. The lines feel tentative, searching, but there’s also a confidence in the way he captures the weight of the body. This reminds me of some of Matisse’s line drawings, where he’s also trying to capture the essence of a form with as few marks as possible. Ultimately, both artists remind us that art is a conversation, an ongoing exploration rather than a fixed statement.