(Untitled) 

Editor: Here we have an untitled drawing by Mark Rothko, date unknown, utilizing oil paint and ink. The shadowy scene and seemingly unstable structures give me the impression of a stage set that is waiting for the play to begin, or perhaps after the play has finished, when everyone has gone home. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The "stage set" you've observed provides a crucial entry point. Consider Rothko's work in light of his Eastern European Jewish heritage. The instability and seeming deconstruction can be seen as a commentary on the fragility of cultural structures in the face of oppression and displacement, specifically those confronted in diaspora. What social forces do you believe would've compelled Rothko towards abstraction? Editor: So, the composition might represent a personal experience with displacement rather than simply an aesthetic choice? Curator: Precisely. Rothko was grappling with the unspeakable, the trauma of the Holocaust and the pervasiveness of anti-Semitism, and that abstract shapes and colors could communicate that on a deeper, visceral level than representational forms. Consider the Expressionist movement he was associated with—how do you think their focus on subjective experience played a role in his approach? Editor: It makes sense that this subjectivity could represent a breaking down of representation entirely in favor of raw emotion. Looking at it that way, I see a visual depiction of chaos, an ungrounded space. Curator: And is the lack of grounding reflective of broader social unrest, perhaps? Abstraction becomes a potent visual language for expressing the anxieties of the time, of bearing witness when bearing witness feels impossible. It refuses the easy answers. Editor: This reframing gives me a lot to think about. I see a lot of possibility in the use of abstraction to discuss politically and culturally sensitive topics.