Studies of Still Lifes 

This ink drawing by Mark Rothko is a study for a still life composition. The artist is known for his abstract color-field paintings but here, he explores the composition of still life objects with a focus on form and structure. The drawing, likely created as a preparatory work, shows a lampshade, a pitcher and a series of books. These are all seemingly ordinary objects, rendered in a simplified and somewhat gestural manner. The artist's use of line to define the form of these objects is both direct and suggestive.