Torso of a Standing Nude Turned to the Right [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: 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
1986.56.172.a
Art Historical Context
Mark Rothko's *Torso of a Standing Nude Turned the Right [recto]*, created between 1901 and 1925, offers a glimpse into the artist's formative years. Born Marcus Rothkovich in 3 in present-day Latvia and immigrating to the United States as a child, Rothko produced this pen and black ink drawing on wove paper during early artistic training. Measuring a modest 27.8 x 21.6 cm, it captures a classical nude torso in profile, showcasing precise line work typical of academic life drawing studies prevalent in early 20th-century art education. This intimate sketch stands in stark contrast to Rothko's ...
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...