Half-Length Study of a Woman Turned to the Right 

Mark Rothko made this drawing, Half-Length Study of a Woman Turned to the Right, using pen on paper. The stark simplicity of the medium is interesting when we consider Rothko's more famous abstract paintings. The quick, gestural strokes of the pen leave something to the imagination. The marks, seemingly casual, are actually carefully considered. Although a study, the work highlights the skill of the hand. It also begs the question of value - is a study worth less than a painting, even though the same skills were involved in the making of both? Consider the cultural associations of drawing, compared to painting. In the academy, drawing was traditionally viewed as a fundamental skill, laying the groundwork for a ‘finished’ painting. But the immediacy of drawing also has its own distinct appeal. Rothko asks us to consider the value of the work involved, and the traditional distinctions between art and craft.