Untitled 1942

This untitled painting by Mark Rothko uses oil on canvas to create a really unique kind of organized chaos. The colors are so visceral, earthy reds and browns, with these surprising whites that create a jolt in the whole system. Look how Rothko layers the paint, not quite thick, but you can still feel the presence of his hand in each mark. The way he builds up the forms, it’s almost like he’s excavating them rather than painting them. There's a raw, almost primal feel to how he's rendered the human form, so fragmented and vulnerable. That white head at the top really haunts me, it's like a scream frozen in paint. Rothko reminds me a bit of Gorky, how he used biomorphic shapes but Rothko really goes his own way in creating these emotionally charged landscapes of the self. His later color field paintings take this rawness to another level entirely. Art, it’s all just a conversation, right?