Seated Female with Hands on Lap 

Mark Rothko made this sketch of a seated female figure with graphite on paper. Rothko began his artistic journey creating figurative works, often influenced by the social realities of the early 20th century. Here, we see a young woman, head bowed, hands clasped in her lap. This posture carries a weight of introspection or perhaps constraint, reflective of the limited roles often prescribed to women during this period. The sketch has a raw, unfinished quality. Rothko subtly hints at the emotional complexities beneath the surface. He would go on to say "It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is senseless. It is utterly impossible to paint well, that is, to paint with completeness and fullness, if one is not in complete accord with the subject." Consider how Rothko’s evolution from figurative art to abstraction may have mirrored a desire to move beyond conventional representations, seeking a more profound, universal language of feeling. This sketch serves as a poignant reminder of the artist’s early exploration into the human condition, laying the groundwork for his later, monumental color field paintings.