Seated Woman Leaning to Left, Man in Chair behind Her 

This simple pencil drawing was made by Mark Rothko at an unknown date. Although Rothko is best known for his monumental abstract paintings, this work reminds us that he was a trained figure draughtsman. The lines are quickly laid, almost casual, but they build up to a powerful sense of volume and presence. Look at the shading in the woman's dress, or the man's heavy hands. It is easy to think of drawing as an immediate, unmediated form of expression. But in fact, the humble pencil is itself the result of a complex industrial process. The wood had to be milled, the graphite mined and processed, and the two materials joined in a precise, reliable form. This reminds us that even the most apparently spontaneous gestures have material and social histories embedded within them. Considering these factors allows us to appreciate Rothko's draftsmanship in a new light, and to consider the relationship between labor, production, and artistic creation.