Number 18
Artist
Mark Rothko
(American, born Latvia, 1903 - 1970)
Date1951
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 84 x 70 in. (213.4 x 177.8 cm)
Overall: 81 3/4 x 67 in. (207.6 x 170.2 cm)
Overall: 81 3/4 x 67 in. (207.6 x 170.2 cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number53.216
Description On View
On viewCollections
CopyrightCopyright © 1998 by Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/ Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Label TextChallenge yourself to look at this painting for one minute, for three minutes, for five minutes. Look closely at the surface, step back to take in the entirety. What do you see? Can you enter this painting in any way?
Mark Rothko sought to convey great themes of the human condition – tragedy and suffering and transcendence. He did not want to illustrate with symbols or allegories what emotions or spiritual awakening look like. He struggled instead to paint true states of being. This painting is an invitation to contemplation.
Mary E. Murray
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
