Seated Nude Leaning to Left, Torso Bent at Waist
1901 to 1925
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
(drawing)
Dimensions
overall: 27.8 x 21.6 cm (10 15/16 x 8 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
1986.56.78
Art Historical Context
Mark Rothko's *Seated Nude Leaning to Left, Torso Bent at Waist* (ca. 1901–1925) offers a rare glimpse into the artist's early explorations as a draftsman. Created during Rothko's formative years—shortly after his immigration from Russia to the United States in 1913—this intimate drawing captures a nude figure in a dynamic, twisted pose, emphasizing the contours and anatomy of the human form. At just 27.8 x 21.6 cm, its modest scale suggests a personal sketch, likely from life-drawing sessions that honed his observational skills. Though Rothko would later become a titan of Abstract Expression...
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...