Two Seated Figures 

Mark Rothko made this drawing of Two Seated Figures with graphite on paper. Though undated, the work offers insight into Rothko’s approach to representation before his signature abstract style emerged. We might consider how this drawing speaks to the artist’s social context. Rothko, who immigrated to the US from Russia, was part of a generation grappling with the impacts of modernity, urbanization, and economic disparity. As part of the immigrant Jewish community, his work was bound to challenge the established aesthetic norms and power structures of the art world at the time. Rothko's departure from traditional figuration can be seen as a conscious break from the conservative artistic establishment. His journey towards abstraction might be a search for a universal visual language that speaks beyond cultural boundaries. To fully appreciate the artwork we have to dig deeper into the archives, considering contemporary reviews, Rothko's statements and the broader history of art institutions in the US at the time. This would help us to understand the complex interplay between artistic expression and social change.