Reclining Female Nude, Legs Bent, Head Leaning on Right Hand 

Editor: Here we have a pen and ink drawing of a “Reclining Female Nude, Legs Bent, Head Leaning on Right Hand,” attributed to Mark Rothko. It's really pared down to just the essential lines. There's something both vulnerable and assertive in her gaze. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Rothko's nudes… aren’t they surprising? I always find it incredible that an artist known for these expansive color fields, the spiritual depth that color could offer, began with such… figuration. It almost feels like peering into the artist's workshop, witnessing a raw, intuitive exploration. To me, it’s all about feeling and empathy. Editor: Empathy? It seems very clinical at first glance. Curator: Precisely! It challenges our assumptions. Is it cold observation or something more? Consider the pose. The line isn't flawless; it quivers and breathes. There is intimacy that goes beyond objectification in this pose. And then think about the color fields, aren't they about human experience, about being alive, raw and vulnerable, which may explain the subject being unpolished, nude? I think, these early sketches might have paved the way for him. It makes one wonder whether he tried to find a new way to express and to convey a very simple subject, the feeling of life. Editor: I guess I always thought of Rothko as starting with the color fields, not ending there. It’s cool to see the bones of his artistry. Curator: Exactly! Sometimes the greatest revelations lie in witnessing an artist's evolution. The destination informs the origin. You now see Rothko's famous paintings from a new angle.