Phalanx of the Mind 1945

Mark Rothko made "Phalanx of the Mind" with oil on canvas. The more I look at this the more I feel like he's working out something in real time, maybe even against himself. You can see these almost architectural diamond shapes, and then this exploding diagram sort of overlaid on top. It’s like he’s trying to contain and release energy all at once. I'm drawn to this one spot near the top, it's like a yellow halo with some other scribbles escaping out. It's a total rupture in the otherwise subdued palette. The paint handling looks really loose, like he attacked it with a dry brush. The lines are wiry and nervous, you can practically feel the pressure he put into each stroke. I think it's fascinating how these more figurative elements relate to Rothko's later, more purely abstract works. It's like he's slowly stripping away the layers to get at something more essential.