Rear View of Two Seated Figures, One Wearing a Hat 

This sketch by Mark Rothko captures two figures from behind, one adorned with a hat, rendered with swift, exploratory lines. The hat, a seemingly simple object, carries echoes of diverse social roles and identities, a motif that reappears throughout art history. We see its evolution from a symbol of authority and status in ancient cultures to a marker of anonymity and disguise in modern life. Consider the veiled figures in religious paintings or the shadowed faces in film noir; the hat both conceals and reveals. Here, the hat's presence evokes a sense of contemplation, a barrier between the wearer and the world. Like the Rückenfigur of Romanticism, we are invited to speculate on the figures' inner worlds, their gaze directed towards an unseen horizon. This Rückenfigur—a figure seen from behind—taps into our collective memory, triggering a subconscious desire to understand, to know what they see and feel. The hat, therefore, is more than mere headwear; it is a potent symbol, rich with cultural and psychological weight.