Untitled (woman combing her hair) 1932 - 1933

Curator: Rothko’s "Untitled (woman combing her hair)," created between 1932 and 1933. It's an ink drawing, and it offers an early glimpse into Rothko's artistic sensibilities. What’s your immediate reaction to it? Editor: Restless. Like the woman's thoughts are churning even as she tries to create some semblance of order by combing her hair. It's fascinating how much emotional turbulence he conveys with those bold, almost brutal strokes of ink. Curator: Absolutely. The figure's pose and expression are striking. I see vulnerability in the face but also an air of defiance, maybe even world-weariness, that permeates the image. I see in her that universal image of a women looking in the mirror in an intimate and quotidian moment. Editor: Hair, of course, is powerfully symbolic. Think of mythic figures like Samson, whose power was intrinsically linked to his hair. Here, combing could symbolize a ritual, a way to try and control the uncontrollable chaos of life. Rothko creates this dramatic dichotomy in this moment between order and a strong will of being in control through something mundane like combing the hair, something the viewer doesn't expect when stepping to face a Rothko piece. Curator: True, that juxtaposition really works! Rothko doesn't merely present a portrait; he crafts a psychological landscape. It’s like peeking into an intimate moment, but one charged with existential weight. In some ways, the drawing prefigures Rothko’s later abstract expressionism, capturing those raw, fundamental human emotions. Editor: Precisely! It’s the kind of work that sticks with you. Every time you revisit it, you uncover something new, another layer of meaning woven into the inky depths. It’s like a riddle, constantly posing questions without ever giving definite answers. Curator: For sure, and I’m struck by the fact that a simple everyday motif, handled with Rothko’s unflinching vision, results in such an arresting and thought-provoking piece. It seems to me this artwork reminds the viewers that the power of art resides in capturing an essential mood or state of being. Editor: I fully agree; it's one of those special works of art that gets under your skin, sparking ongoing dialogues in our inner world, questioning us to try and relate. A great piece.