Abstract Composition [recto] 

Curator: Ah, this intriguing piece! Here we have "Abstract Composition [recto]," a watercolour drawing on paper by Mark Rothko. While it lacks a specific date, its style places it within his earlier expressionistic period. Editor: Hmm… my first impression? Raw energy! It's a figure, maybe, but rendered in such a whirlwind of red and black that it feels more like an emotional landscape than a portrait. A landscape of unease, perhaps? Curator: Rothko's early work often explored the figure before his shift towards pure abstraction. Here, you can still detect those figurative elements – perhaps the suggestion of a face, limbs... though distorted, yes. The red seems to vibrate against the blacks, creating a sense of tension, even torment. Red's historically been linked to passion, sacrifice, or anger… Editor: It’s almost theatrical, this torment. Like a scene from a forgotten Greek tragedy where the characters have been reduced to swirling emotions. It hits me right in the gut. Look at the frenetic scribbles suggesting hair, like snakes writhing on a Medusa's head, echoing anguish, fear. And the off-center composition adds to this unbalanced emotional state, don't you think? Curator: Definitely. Compositionally, it disrupts our sense of balance. The use of watercolour on paper lends a certain immediacy, doesn't it? Like he captured a fleeting moment, a visceral feeling, before it could escape him. One must also keep in mind the historic context – such expressionism was informed by anxieties around war and the human condition post-war. Editor: Absolutely. I find it fascinating to trace this development in his art – seeing the seeds of the colour fields he’d later become famous for in these initial figurations. This painting has a rawness that the later ones often lack. The red is like blood... or the raw feeling before the grief process solidifies into pure blocks of colour. Curator: That is beautifully put. Yes, a sort of origin story for his mature style. There is an intensity here – the artist grappling with fundamental themes. We see the birth of an abstract language striving to express human existence. Editor: It's as though we're peering into the artist's subconscious itself, right? And honestly, I wouldn’t want to linger there too long. It stirs up a bit too much for my liking. Curator: Indeed. A powerful and, as you say, potentially unsettling piece. Thank you for illuminating the work through your insight! Editor: My pleasure! A glimpse into Rothko's soul - I feel I understand him a little more deeply, while feeling somewhat rattled!