Red, Orange, Orange on Red

A large field of tangerine orange floats between a line of brick red and an area of more acidic orange. Mark Rothko stained the canvas with several layers of thin pigment, creating an effect that evokes the shimmering luminosity of dawn or sunset. Rothko’s compositions employ the simplicity of rectilinear forms to express universal human emotions ranging from ecstasy to tragedy. Influenced by ancient Greek drama as well as the writings of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the artist believed that his art should be “tragic and timeless.”