Multiform 1948

This untitled canvas by Mark Rothko, in Canberra, is made of horizontal blocks of colour, a bit like stacked up feelings. I wonder what it was like for Rothko to make this, pushing paint around, maybe wiping some away, until these hazy rectangles emerged. There's a yellow bar at the top that feels like hesitant sunshine, then some earthy browns and oranges sinking down into cooler blues and greens. The paint isn't too thick, but you can see how one colour stains another, like watercolour bleeding on the page. Those squiggly lines in the middle section of the painting, like quick thoughts jotted down, are a reminder of how one thing can lead to another when you're making a painting. Painters are always in conversation with each other, even across time. We borrow, steal, and transform what we see, always feeling our way forward. What do you feel when you see this?