Untitled 1968

Here's a painting by Mark Rothko made with oil paint. I imagine Rothko layering these luminous rectangles, one on top of the other, working intuitively, pushing and pulling the paint across the canvas. See how the strokes of blues create a dense atmospheric depth, while the buttery yellow appears to float above? The paint application is thin, washy, almost translucent. I picture him stepping back, squinting, adjusting the colors until they vibrated just so. Making a painting like this is a bit like searching for something you can't quite name. Rothko was interested in expressing fundamental human emotions. He looked to artists like Matisse, who used color and form to evoke feeling. Ultimately, it's up to you to bring your own experiences to the painting, to feel whatever it stirs in you. That’s what art is for, after all—an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring creativity.