Three Girls Seated c. 1930

Mark Rothko made 'Three Girls Seated' with watercolor and graphite on paper. The colours are so soft, and Rothko’s application so delicate, that the surface feels almost like a memory of an image rather than a direct representation. I'm drawn to the way the figures seem to emerge from the background, rather than sitting distinctly in front of it. The pinks and yellows of their dresses blend subtly with the earth tones behind them, creating a unified field of colour and tone. There’s an ambiguity here, a sense of forms dissolving, which prefigures Rothko’s later, more abstract works. Look at the girls’ hands, they’re just suggested, with a few loose strokes. This kind of shorthand description reminds me a little of Milton Avery, someone else who wasn’t afraid to let the image breathe and suggest rather than state. Ultimately, like all good art, this piece asks more questions than it answers, inviting us to pause, reflect, and connect.