Still Life 

This is Mark Rothko's “Still Life”, an ink drawing on paper. Rothko, born in Latvia in 1903, migrated to the United States, and he initially explored representational art before his signature abstract style. This piece, with its sketched lines depicting everyday objects, offers a glimpse into his early artistic development. It prompts us to consider the immigrant experience and the search for identity. Rothko’s transition from representational art to abstraction might be seen as a reflection of his own journey, a shedding of old forms to discover new modes of expression. He once said "It is really exasperating that so many people persist in thinking of my paintings as decorative." Here, in this intimate sketch, we see the genesis of an artist who would later create vast, boundless fields of color. The humble still life becomes a window into a soul grappling with history, identity, and the very essence of being.