Untitled 1945

This small, untitled painting was made by Mark Rothko, but when I don’t know exactly. He’s layered black lines, yellow and white paint over a light gray surface that seems to be emerging, shifting. It's a process of trial, error, and intuition, right? I sympathize with Rothko here because, for me, painting is a philosophical, playful, reflective process, much like writing. In this work, you can see these drippy lines, these almost comical shapes, balanced on a dark, brooding surface. I'm drawn to the circular gesture in the upper center. What does it mean? Is it a head? Is it nothing? I’m not sure, but I can see Rothko, brush in hand, circling, thinking, pushing, pulling. He's in conversation with painters like Arshile Gorky, maybe even Joan Miró. We, as painters, are in an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.