Untitled (Seagram Mural) 1959

Mark Rothko rendered this mural with oil on canvas. It displays a large, dark rectangle hovering within a field of deep red. This rectangle, a recurring motif in Rothko’s oeuvre, echoes the symbolic weight of portals and thresholds found throughout art history. Consider the gates of Ishtar in ancient Babylon, or the proscenium arch of a theatre; both frame a passage, a transition to another world, a sacred or transformative space. Here, the dark rectangle acts as a visual echo of these ancient symbols, resonating with our primal understanding of boundaries and the unknown. The somber palette evokes feelings of introspection and mourning, tapping into our collective memory of loss and the transience of life. Like a darkened stage awaiting a drama, Rothko’s composition engages the viewer’s subconscious, inviting contemplation on the profound mysteries of existence. This symbol is cyclical: a visual marker between states, reminding us of the ever-repeating patterns of human experience.