Untitled, 1970

7:00 AM

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1970
By ANIRUDH VADLAMANI

Saying I had a religious experience with this painting undermines the spirituality of the painting. I didn't just have a religious experience with the painting, I fell in love with it.

Mark Rothko created Untitled during a period where he used more somber colors. His somber colors don't invite attention at first glance, but if it attracted attention it would be a Jackson Pollock. This is Mark Rothko, he doesn't attract attention; however, when it's seen, it cannot be unseen. 

The imprint of the grey on black sits in your mind. After looking at this painting in a dark room, I felt tears. Space scares me, but in this case, it did not. Upon my first sight of Rothko's paintings, I felt nothing. I saw a few boxes with mismatched hues and shades but the problem was, I didn't have the same spiritual experience my friends were having. One night, I decided to lock myself in a dark room and look at one of the paintings. And then it hit me. Suddenly the once black and grey shade stopped looking like two colors. Suddenly, I felt on top of a planet, overlooking the atmosphere. I wasn't having the same religious experience as my friends but I was having a completely different one. 

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