Standing Female Nude Gazing Down, Hands Clasped Behind Back 

Mark Rothko made this ink drawing, Standing Female Nude Gazing Down, Hands Clasped Behind Back, at an unknown date. Rothko’s well known for his later abstract work, but early in his career he explored figurative subjects like this nude. In the early twentieth century, the nude in art was a loaded subject. Was it a celebration of the human form? Or a continuation of the male gaze that objectified women? Rothko's sketch is ambiguous: the woman's gaze is downcast. Her posture is relaxed, but her hands are bound. To understand Rothko's work, we can look to the art institutions of his time and their attitude to the nude. We might consult archives of artists' writings and exhibition catalogs. By researching the social context, we can better appreciate Rothko's contribution to the ongoing conversation around the politics of the image.