Sheet with Figure Sketches: Youngster; Woman Reaching toward Man; Additional Studies 

Curator: Here we have a sheet of figure sketches attributed to Mark Rothko, rendered in pen and ink. Editor: My immediate reaction is, these feel like thoughts caught in a net—almost accidentally human, swirling on the page. There's a frantic energy in these sketches. Curator: That "frantic energy," as you call it, perhaps speaks to the rapid-fire thought process Rothko was engaging in. Rothko, even as an abstract expressionist later in his career, was very committed to figuration. These sketches serve as vital reminders of the historical and philosophical underpinnings that influenced his entire oeuvre, reminding us to reevaluate the relationship between the figurative and the abstract. Editor: True, they don’t feel fully formed, yet possess such potent vulnerability. Look at the woman reaching toward the man. Is it a gesture of support, desperation, love, or even resentment? I see a tangle of human emotions there—in just a few lines! Curator: This ambiguity is so critical, don't you think? Because in considering Rothko’s relationship to politics, and specifically radical Jewish politics in the early 20th century, it's so critical to understand his engagement with the human condition through an empathetic, albeit often fraught, lens. Editor: The marks feel deeply private, even secretive, but at the same time, somehow, they echo feelings we’ve all had. Do you think he ever intended to show these? Curator: Whether or not he intended to exhibit these is beside the point. The sketches function as windows into Rothko's method and thinking. The unfinished nature doesn't diminish their potency, rather it makes them compelling objects of study and discussion. Editor: You’ve definitely given me some things to think about. I now view it as both deeply personal but also universally relatable. Curator: Yes, exactly! Thinking about this from the perspective of someone examining the social role of art is critical, and it gives us something tangible to hold onto in Rothko's evolution as an artist.