Woman Seated in a Chair [verso] 

Curator: So, we’re looking at "Woman Seated in a Chair", a drawing by Mark Rothko. Editor: Mmm, instantly, there’s this… weary sort of vibe? The posture, the hand propping up the head… feels like a rainy Tuesday. Curator: Exactly, it is not about literal, formal, beauty— the figure is rendered in quick, fluid ink lines on paper, almost a study, right? Very economical in its use of line. You get such a clear sense of weight and mood through the composition, no matter how seemingly spare. Editor: Right, like, he catches the slouch perfectly! It feels more about capturing a state of being than perfect anatomical accuracy, doesn't it? I mean, look how he's suggested weight in her right arm and how the shadows are rendered around the neck. So much is left undefined! It leaves so much to your imagination. Curator: It's Rothko playing with representational form before his famous abstractions. He grapples with figuration to his unique mode of non-representation. What are some things we can say about how Rothko's other mediums—such as his oils on canvas—use this language and technique that appears on this page? What aspects have stayed with him? How have they transformed? Editor: Hmm, a good question indeed... I keep coming back to her state of repose... perhaps he caught a muse at their moment of, hmm, shall we say "in-between?" I wonder... was this from life or from memory? Curator: Could be either, really, though its sketchbook feel makes me think from life. Editor: Right... You know, for something so understated, it really sticks with you. Captures a feeling that we can all immediately relate to, no? A feeling like so many moments of our everyday, contemporary existences... Curator: Agreed. The drawing is seemingly effortless, but I get a feeling about how deceptively complex it may really be!