No. 5 1964

Mark Rothko made this painting, No. 5, and I'm not sure when, but it’s this crazy dance of dark hues, mostly blacks and browns, that pulls you in. It's like Rothko wasn’t trying to paint something, but rather trying to create a feeling. The way he layers the paint, it’s so thin, almost transparent in places, lets the colors breathe and vibrate against each other. Look closely, and you can see these subtle shifts in tone, creating this almost imperceptible sense of depth. There's a part on the upper block where the color looks less labored, more free. That mark, to me, is like a moment of pure expression, a glimpse into the artist’s mind, laying it all out there. Rothko makes me think a little of Ad Reinhardt, with the way he wanted to go beyond representation, but with a totally different mood, and with so much more vulnerability. Ultimately, it's up to each of us to bring our own interpretation and meaning to it.