Vase of Flowers with Window View Behind 

This ink drawing by Mark Rothko depicts a vase of flowers set against a window view. The flowers, seemingly lilacs and chrysanthemums, bring to mind symbols of love, remembrance, and death. The window, divided into panes, suggests a framework through which we view the world, a common motif throughout art history. The grid-like structure of the window is reminiscent of the "veil" in Renaissance painting, a scrim that both reveals and conceals. Consider the many depictions of windows throughout art history, from the symbolic portals in Renaissance Annunciations to the Romantic landscapes seen through Gothic arches. The window is a threshold, and the scene beyond it offers the promise of what lies beyond our grasp. It carries the weight of centuries of yearning, filtered through Rothko's modern sensibility. A visual poem of loss, love, and what can only be glimpsed from afar.