Seated Figure with Hands Clasped [verso] 

Mark Rothko created this drawing, "Seated Figure with Hands Clasped," using graphite on paper. The artwork seems to echo the stylized forms of early modernist art. Yet, it carries a deeper resonance when we consider Rothko's biography as a Jewish immigrant from Russia fleeing anti-Semitism. This figure, rendered with such stark simplicity, invites questions about identity, vulnerability, and the human condition. Is the figure's posture one of contemplation, or perhaps resignation? Rothko once said, "I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom." Here, the absence of detail and the starkness of the lines evoke a sense of isolation, reflecting the struggles of those who are marginalized or displaced. In its quiet way, the drawing speaks to the universal experience of seeking solace in a world marked by uncertainty and hardship.