No. 5 1964

This is Mark Rothko’s ‘No. 5’, an immersive painting of dark hues. Just imagine Rothko in his studio, layering thin washes of paint, one over another, coaxing these hazy rectangles into being. I wonder if he ever felt like he was chasing a ghost, trying to pin down something that’s always just out of reach? See how the colors aren’t solid? They’re like looking through a murky pool, where the depths are unknowable. There's a kind of sadness, maybe even a bit of defiance, in the way these colors refuse to be pinned down. I think of him, and others like him, Helen Frankenthaler or Barnett Newman, as being in constant conversation. A discussion about what painting can be, and what it can express. It's all so personal and so grand at the same time. These artists inspire me to keep pushing, keep questioning, and keep painting, even when the answers are elusive.