No. 19 - Mark Rothko

A 1948 oil painting by Mark Rothko, featuring layered washes of orange and red that demonstrate his transition into the Color Field style.

Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz in Latvia, moved to the United States in 1913. He became a central figure in the New York School during the mid-twentieth century. This work dates to 1948, a period when Rothko transitioned from surrealist-influenced biomorphic forms toward the signature rectangular arrangements that defined his later career.

In this composition, the canvas acts as a field of modulated orange and red tones. Rothko applied paint in thin, layered washes, allowing the texture of the canvas to remain visible beneath the pigment. The arrangement of shapes suggests a spatial tension, where blocks of colour appear to hover or recede against the ground. Unlike his later, more uniform stacks of rectangles, this piece retains a degree of gestural variation. The edges of the forms are soft and blurred, creating a sense of atmospheric depth rather than hard-edged geometry.

Rothko intended for his work to communicate basic human emotions, such as tragedy, ecstasy, and doom. He often requested that his paintings be hung low and in groups to envelop the viewer. By removing representational imagery, he sought to create a direct encounter between the observer and the colour itself. The interplay of the warm, fiery hues with the cooler, greyish vertical elements provides a rhythmic balance across the surface. This print captures the subtle shifts in tone and the tactile quality of the original oil application, offering a clear view of the artist's technique during this formative stage of his development.