Rites of Lilith 1945

Mark Rothko made "Rites of Lilith" with oil paint, and right away you can see that he's kind of wrestling with these shapes, not quite letting them settle into anything familiar. It's like he's thinking out loud with the brush, a real process nerd! Up close, the paint's got this cool, thin, almost watery vibe in places, then thicker here and there, creating a real sense of depth, like looking into fog. The colors are muted, but they vibrate against each other. Notice that dark line snaking across the middle? It’s like a horizon, but also feels like a challenge. It makes me think of Joan Miró, another artist who was obsessed with the subconscious. For me, this painting is about Rothko searching for something beyond the surface, playing with ideas and letting us watch him do it.