Multiform 1948

Mark Rothko made 'Multiform,' with oil on canvas, and it now hangs in the National Gallery of Australia. When you look at it you can see how the process of applying paint is part of the point. The colors are not quite blended but applied in distinct layers and blocks. You can trace the artist’s decisions as they unfold through these gentle shapes and marks. Take a look at the way Rothko uses color. See the horizontal orange bar against the pool of turquoise? It creates a tension, a visual vibration that is both soothing and unsettling. It’s like Rothko is teaching us how to feel, how to experience color not just as something pretty, but as something deeply resonant. Rothko’s work reminds me a bit of Clyfford Still, though maybe a little less tortured. I'm interested in art that doesn't tell you what to think, but invites you to feel your way through it.