Untitled

Untitled

Mark Rothko

1950

oil

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting shows three big blocks of color stacked vertically. The top is a deep blue, the middle is a warm orange-brown, and the bottom is a pale yellow-beige. Each section has soft, uneven edges where the paint blends slightly. The brushstrokes are thick in places, almost like the paint was scraped on. The colors don’t show any real shapes or scenes—just flat areas of hue. Look up impasto next to see how thick paint like this works.

More by Mark Rothko

Artifact World Gallery — 100,000 artworks Get the app