Untitled (Study for Seagram Murals) 1958 - 1959

Curator: Well, this is certainly one that pulls you in, doesn't it? We are looking at Mark Rothko's "Untitled (Study for Seagram Murals)" painted between 1958 and 1959. It is striking, painted with oil paints. What catches your eye first? Editor: The somberness, definitely. It’s like standing before a series of veiled doorways, each holding a muted, painful memory. There’s a claustrophobic quality to it despite its size. Curator: Indeed. The color choices and the spatial arrangement contribute heavily to that sensation. You know, these were studies for the Four Seasons Restaurant in the Seagram Building. Quite a shift from dining pleasure, wouldn’t you say? Editor: A colossal shift! I find it almost subversive. Here’s Rothko, commissioned to create a space of luxury and indulgence, and he offers these dark, brooding panels instead. It's like injecting a dose of reality, or rather, confronting diners with mortality right between courses. The framed images are like reliquaries. Curator: Perhaps he was trying to offer more than mere decoration; to prompt reflection, to challenge complacency. Think about the symbolism: these rectangles, often interpreted as representing the human form or portals, set against fields of muted, earthy tones… there is definitely more happening here than just abstract shapes. Editor: I can definitely get the idea of them as figures and doors, there are symbols within symbols! What is this about Rothko resigning his commision? Was he overwhelmed by his creation and its place, do you think? Curator: It is speculated that he withdrew precisely because he felt it unsuitable, perhaps too intense, for such a setting. As if he recognized that these weren’t meant to soothe, but to unsettle. Some art historians read into that sense of unease as Rothko coming to terms with death, actually... Editor: Well, they succeed then! Looking at these dark shades I think the overall impact here resonates. It seems he managed to imprint not just color, but a shared, unspoken dread onto the canvas. I would like to know, did his choice reflect a deeper commentary on commercialism itself, maybe? Curator: Ultimately, Rothko presented an opportunity for introspection. Even in the realm of abstract expressionism. And it seems that invitation persists, doesn't it? Editor: It does. I feel as though my concept of what interior design is about, and is even allowed to do, is shifting right now.