(via thedevilwearsparlanti)
Mark Rothko, Untitled (Black and Gray), 1969
Acrylic on canvas, 68 X 60 1/8 inches
Private Collection
© Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko/ARS
I don’t immediately recognize if this is a much brighter and bluer version of one of our many dark 1969 Rothkos (collected here: 1 2 3 4) but even if we have seen this before, it’s certainly a revealing surprise. As frequent readers of this blog may have noted, generally Rothko’s “Black and Grays” are scanned as just that. The variations are there but we only see a hint of grey-green or a coat of brown, nothing so oceanic and free as this. The top part here is typically black as night but the lower portion shows us how layered Rothko’s work really is. These blues and white-yellows churn under greys and give movement to what seems flat and stagnant in a poor scan. Even if this is a little lighter than the naked eye might see, it’s great to see the underpinning. Seen in person it would not be surprising to see underpainting of mauve or dark purple tones on the upper half.
