Woman Curled Up in Large Chair, Reading 

Mark Rothko made this drawing of a woman reading in a chair with graphite on paper. A humble pairing, pencil and paper, everyday tools used to sketch ideas or jot down notes, but in the hands of Rothko, they take on a life of their own. The soft graphite strokes create a sense of volume and weight, imbuing the sitter with a quiet solidity. The tooth of the paper grabs onto the graphite, allowing for a range of tonal values that create subtle shadows and contours. Rothko skillfully uses line work to suggest form, capturing the woman’s posture as she’s engrossed in a book. There's a sense of intimacy here, a glimpse into a private moment made public through the artist's hand. Rothko transforms common materials into a study of form, light, and the human experience, demonstrating that the most unassuming things can yield profound artistic expression. It invites us to reflect on the potential of simple means to communicate powerful ideas.