Seated Nude Leaning to the Right, Head Lowered 

Editor: This is “Seated Nude Leaning to the Right, Head Lowered,” a pencil drawing by Mark Rothko. I find the sketchiness of the lines and the unfinished quality quite striking. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: It’s important to remember that Rothko is most famous for his abstract paintings, so this early figurative work offers a glimpse into the artist’s process, his artistic labor. Think about the role of drawing in artistic training. Was this study part of a broader investigation of the human form, a way to hone skills that would later inform his more recognized abstract work? Editor: That's a very interesting point. It almost seems like the human form is being broken down here, similar to his color fields, but he uses the nude human as a testing ground to prepare his future explorations. Do you think that his style in the drawing is reflective of what was trending in his day? Curator: Consider also the materiality itself – pencil on paper. It’s an inexpensive medium, accessible. What does it signify that an artist who later achieved great fame and commercial success began here, with these humble materials? Did his style mirror current trends? In a way, but perhaps more importantly, how does this study subvert or conform to the expectations associated with "high art" and traditional artistic practice? What do you think the role of rapid sketching suggests? Is this about precision or a study of movement, as an aide for his artistic memory? Editor: So, it’s as much about the choices he made with materials and process as it is about the subject matter itself. I never considered Rothko within a context of 'artistic labour' before. Curator: Exactly! And it opens up many questions about the artistic journey and what we value as a final product. It goes far beyond the aesthetic into what makes a painting ‘art’.