Untitled 1961

This is a drawing by Mark Rothko, made with an unknown medium on paper. Rothko, known for his monumental color field paintings, here gives us something intimate, almost a secret. Look at how the rectangles are defined, not by firm lines, but by a kind of searching, a tentative outlining that speaks to process. It's like he's feeling his way around the shapes, letting them emerge rather than dictating their presence. The stack of lines in the middle suggests a weight and invites your eye to look closer. It's the kind of drawing that makes you think about what lies beneath the surface. And if you look at his paintings, the large expanses of color, you'll see that same quietness. Like Agnes Martin, this piece suggests Rothko was an artist interested in art as conversation rather than as a final statement.