My Secret Public Journal: September 2024

Dear journal,

Encountering Mark Rothko’s Untitled No. 11, 1963 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum was an intimate and profound experience. Rothko’s work has always demanded something more than just passive observation—it invites you to immerse yourself in it. For me, Rothko’s paintings should always be viewed as close as possible, allowing your entire field of vision to become pure color. It’s in this closeness that the true power of his work is revealed: when the colors fill your vision, they overwhelm the senses, drawing you into an emotional and contemplative space that defies language.

This particular painting, Untitled No. 11, 1963, belongs to Rothko’s later "dark paintings," a departure from his earlier, more vibrant color fields. The deep, muted tones in this piece create a meditative atmosphere, evoking a sense of quiet introspection. The soft-edged rectangles seem to float against one another, merging and shifting as you move closer. I found myself absorbed in the subtleties of these tones, where the interplay between light and dark felt like an emotional landscape. Standing near the canvas, I was no longer looking at a painting—I was inside it.

The exhibition text highlighted Rothko’s desire for his works to represent a spiritual realm, a space where the viewer confronts the self. I felt this strongly while gazing into Untitled No. 11, 1963. The colors, though dark, were not oppressive. Instead, they seemed to offer passage into a different state of mind—quiet, reflective, even sacred. Rothko’s defiance of critics who focused only on formalist color relationships resonated with me as I realized the piece’s true depth lay not in its shapes or tones alone but in how it made me feel. The painting’s vastness and simplicity asked me to let go of intellectual analysis and simply experience.

For me, Rothko’s work will always be about more than just color fields; it’s about the emotions those colors evoke when they fill your entire perspective. Untitled No. 11, 1963 is not just a visual experience but an invitation to engage with the vastness within ourselves. In that sense, it truly offers a passage into the sacred realm Rothko sought to convey.

Always,

Dave