Untitled (four figures in a plaza) c. 1937

This Untitled painting of four figures in a plaza was made by Mark Rothko, with oil on canvas. The colour palette is restrained but luminous, and the brushwork is loose, like he's figuring out what painting even *is*. Rothko lays down these chalky layers, one after another, and you can almost feel him searching for the right combination of colors to capture a certain mood. Look at how the figures are barely there, just ghosts in the plaza, blending with the architecture. They’re kind of brushed in with thin layers of paint so you can see all the layers, like a watercolor almost. But then there are areas that seem built up and slightly heavier, so you get a real sense of depth and texture. This feels like a precursor to Rothko's later, more abstract work, you can see him exploring the potential of color to evoke emotion, just with more recognisable forms. Like Bonnard, he's showing us that painting isn't about representation, it's about feeling.