Antigone c. 1941

Mark Rothko painted Antigone using oil on canvas, and right away I see him searching, finding, and then losing the image again. The colours are muted, like memories, with lots of white, red, and blue. I can imagine Rothko in his studio, stepping back, squinting, then adding another layer, another line, trying to capture something elusive. The paint is thin, washy, almost like watercolor, giving it a ghostly feel. Look at the figures – they're not quite there, are they? They’re emerging and dissolving simultaneously. The way he's built up these translucent layers of paint reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, who was also interested in classical themes. I find it interesting how artists across time keep returning to the same stories, the same myths, trying to make them new. Painting allows for endless interpretations. It’s a process that embraces uncertainty, and that's what makes it so alive.