Grove of Trees [recto]
1901 to 1925
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
pen and black ink on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 21.5 x 27.9 cm (8 7/16 x 11 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
1986.56.357.a
Art Historical Context
Mark Rothko's *Grove of Trees [o]* (ca. 1901–1925) is a captivating early drawing executed in pen and black ink onove paper, measuring a modest 21.5 × 27.9 cm (8 7/16 × 11 in.). Created during the artist's formative years—Rothko was born in 1903 in present-day Latvia and immigrated to the United States a child—this intimate work captures a cluster of trees in a naturalistic style, showcasing his initial explorations in draftsmanship before his rise to fame. Unlike Rothko's iconic mid-century abstract color field paintings, which evoke emotional vastness through layered hues, this piece reflec...
About the Artist
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko (born Marcus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970) stands as one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century American art and a central pioneer of Abstract Expressionism. Born into a Jewish family in Dvinsk (now Daugavpils, Latvia), then part of the Russian Empire, Rothko's early life was marked by the fear and persecution faced by Jews in Tsarist Rus...