Untitled [recto] c. 1944 - 1946

Mark Rothko created this mixed media work on board which is presently untitled. Rothko, born in Latvia and of Jewish heritage, immigrated to the United States as a child. Here, we see the figures – seemingly totemic – rendered with an almost unsettling gaze. These forms emerged from Rothko’s anxieties and desires regarding identity. As a Jewish immigrant, Rothko was highly attuned to questions of visibility, and the interplay between revealing and concealing became central to his artistic language. During the 1940s, Rothko explored mythological and ritualistic themes, grappling with universal human experiences. Rothko once said, "The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them." This suggests that the power of his art lies not just in its visual form, but in its capacity to evoke deep, emotional responses. Ultimately, this work reflects the artist’s negotiation between personal history and collective memory. The piece invites us to contemplate the silent, yet profound ways in which we connect with each other through art.