Reclining Female Nude Leaning to Left, Right Arm Supporting Torso
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: 28.4 x 19.3 cm (11 3/16 x 7 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
1986.56.103
Art Historical Context
In the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Reclining Female N Leaning to Left, Arm Supporting Torso* a rare glimpse into the early training of Mark Rothko (1903–1970), the iconic Abstract Expressionist. Created between 1901 and 1925—likely during his student years at institutions like the Art Students League—this intimate pen and black ink drawing on w paper measures just 28.4 x 19.3 cm. Gifted by The Mark Rothko Foundation,., it captures a classical reclining nude pose, with the figure's right arm elegantly supporting her torso as she leans left, rendered in precise, fluid lines. Unlike R...
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...