Untitled 1942

This untitled painting by Mark Rothko, made with oil on canvas, shows an early stage of the artist’s career. I imagine him in his studio experimenting with surrealist imagery. The canvas is divided into distinct zones of color. Rothko lays down broad brushstrokes of vibrant red in the background, suggesting a space charged with emotion. A bird-like figure dominates the composition rendered in warm tones of orange and brown. To its right, Rothko paints a pair of clasped hands and a standing figure, perhaps an ancient sculpture. These motifs suggest narrative or symbolic meanings, but Rothko leaves the relationship between these figures ambiguous. I see how Rothko is in dialogue with artists like Picasso and Miró in his use of simplified forms and dreamlike imagery. Yet, even at this early stage, his focus on color and composition points towards the abstract style for which he is best known. This painting is part of an ongoing conversation about the power of painting to evoke emotion and meaning.