Untitled [seated female nude with hands behind head] 1955 - 1967

This is an undated drawing of a seated nude made by Richard Diebenkorn on paper. What a sketch! Look at how he uses these simple lines to create a sense of depth and volume. You can almost feel the weight of the figure on the surface she's sitting on. I imagine Diebenkorn quickly capturing the essence of the model, focusing on the overall form rather than getting bogged down in details. There's a real economy of line here, like he's distilling the figure down to its most essential elements. It reminds me a bit of Matisse, with that same focus on the expressive potential of line. You know, artists are always in conversation with one another, building on the ideas of those who came before. Each mark seems so deliberate, full of intention, even though the overall effect is one of spontaneity. It’s like he’s thinking through the charcoal, isn't it? What does the body mean? What does it mean to sit? To pose? There's a certain beauty in that ambiguity.