No. 8 1964

Mark Rothko made this painting, No. 8, by layering dark hues to create a solemn and contemplative canvas. I try to imagine Rothko in his studio, wrestling with these blocks of color, shifting them around, maybe adding a bit more pigment here or there. The painting invites us into a deep space, almost like peering into an abyss. The dark palette is so dense, yet it vibrates with subtle shifts in tone, as if the colors are breathing. It’s so brave of Rothko to just commit to the dark and see what happens. I wonder if he was thinking about Barnett Newman, or maybe even the old masters like Rembrandt, when he made this. I feel like artists are always having this ongoing conversation across time, inspiring each other to push the boundaries of what painting can do. It’s this embodied expression that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty.