Standing Nude Facing Right 

This sketch, "Standing Nude Facing Right," was quickly rendered with graphite on paper by Mark Rothko. These are common materials, but the way they are used here challenges any simple association with academic drawing. The linear hatching suggests a commitment to craft, while the economy of the marks seems to imply this was simply a means to an end. Rothko is, after all, best known for his abstract fields of color. And yet, the very directness of the mark-making, the way the graphite catches the light on the paper, gives the drawing its own intrinsic energy. There is no attempt to flatter the model, and no evidence of laborious technique. The essence of the drawing lies in its immediacy. So, is this 'fine art' or merely a skilled exercise? Rothko invites us to disregard the distinction, and instead consider the drawing on its own terms.