Black, Red and Black 1968

Editor: This is Mark Rothko's "Black, Red and Black," created in 1968 using oil paint. It's immediately striking how raw and imposing it feels, almost like a monument. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What strikes me is the labor, the act of applying layer upon layer of oil paint to create these surfaces. The materiality becomes paramount. Consider also the social context of art production at the time - the booming art market, galleries, the role of the artist. Rothko himself was grappling with the commodification of his work, something that might resonate in the somber mood. Do you see any indication of this struggle of means in the finished artwork? Editor: I suppose the scale is imposing. Is that connected with how these pieces would have been traded and consumed? It seems quite separate from normal life, almost removed in that sense. Curator: Exactly. Rothko intended the scale to be immersive. His art was a commodity but intended as an experience, inviting the viewer into a meditation. Yet, his labor, the very act of creating that experience, becomes lost when it is perceived solely as an item of consumption. So, it sets up an internal conflict. How does understanding the socio-economic element color your view of the art, and the intent of the creator? Editor: I hadn’t considered the tension between Rothko’s process and his ultimate presentation of it. Thinking about how something becomes commodified changes how I look at even his most simple pieces now. Curator: And seeing his artistic journey helps understand the piece as both deeply personal, yet irrevocably tied into material consumption. It’s fascinating.