Untitled (woman with sculpture) 1934 - 1935

Editor: This is Mark Rothko's "Untitled (woman with sculpture)," painted in oil sometime between 1934 and 1935. It’s a somewhat unsettling image. The palette feels muted, the woman looks like a statue herself. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, I note the interplay of forms and the deliberate ambiguity fostered through Rothko's simplification of shape. Consider the relationship between the sculpted forms and the woman's figure. Notice how they seem to echo each other, particularly in their upward gazes and attenuated limbs. Are they distinct entities or part of the same aesthetic problem Rothko is exploring? Editor: That’s a good question, the echoing does bring up interesting interpretations! I hadn’t really noticed it at first but now I see the lines are very similar. I suppose I was thrown off by the flat use of colour. The woman is a figure, whereas the sculptures are simply…grey. Does that signify a difference? Curator: The tonality does play a key role. Is it about the stark contrast between the artificial and the natural, or does it lead towards a discourse about flatness versus volume? Ask yourself what visual cues suggest to the eye that there is more depth in certain spaces of this artwork? Editor: The composition definitely leads you to consider those spaces – the angles, too. And actually, although they’re simplified forms, they're positioned within a clearly defined—though not fully realised—space. So, Rothko isn't abandoning representation entirely. Curator: Precisely. We observe how the painting mediates figuration with the nascent exploration of pure abstraction which later became Rothko's hallmark. Notice the way the planes of colour intersect, defining volume and space, even while denying it through the flattened perspective. The painting serves as a fascinating node in Rothko’s larger aesthetic journey. Editor: Yes! Looking at this now, it's like seeing the seed of what was to come, while being its own intriguing piece. The painting suddenly feels charged with Rothko's explorations and it also speaks to his greater body of work.