Untitled (White, Pink and Mustard)
Untitled (white, pink, and mustard) is one of the most critically acclaimed paintings by Mark Rothko, a Russian-American Abstract expressionist. The image was developed in 1954 using oil on canvas.
Description of the painting
Like most works by Mark Rothko, this painting consists of large expanses of color. Uneven hazy shades delineate the colors. This image is quite simple. It features three colors made using oil paint on a canvas. The colors are drawn horizontally on the canvas. The top color is white, the second one is brown, then cream, and the third is mustard. The general background of the painting is pink. The white and mustard parts make up at least two-thirds of the entire image. The image is referred to as the Untitled (white, pink, and mustard) painting because the prominent colors that take up most of the canvas are white, pink, and mustard.
Mark Rothko used his images, including the Untitled (white, pink, and mustard), as a nonfigurative art with transcendent content. Mark Rothko used this piece to describe an unknown pictorial space that describes that surpasses two dimensions. He did this while avoiding the elusive three-dimensional space of traditional representation.
The reason and motivation behind the title or lack of one
In 1947, Mark Rothko abandoned conventional titles. He decided that all his paintings from this time will not have a title. He did not want to explain the meaning of his work to his viewers. According to Mark Rothko, “silence is so accurate.” He explained that using words would paralyze the way viewers see his work. He wanted to give viewers the freedom to imagine and define his paintings as they wanted. However, critics of his work would proceed to provide the pieces with unofficial titles. Therefore, this 1954 piece became Untitled (white, pink, and mustard).
Similar works by Mark Rothko
The Untitled (white, pink, and mustard) painting is part of the untitled series by Mark Rothko. The series features a wide range of similar photos, which he consciously decided not to give conventional titles. Some of these similar paintings are (orange, red, and yellow), (black and maroon) and (red, brown, and black), to name a few. Like the Untitled (white, pink, and mustard), he used this image to represent a realm that surpasses the conventional two dimensions.
Final word
The current location of the Untitled (white, pink, and mustard) painting is unknown. In 2014, it was purchased by an anonymous buyer for 66 million dollars. Before then, the image belonged to the State of North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the Eugen-und-Agnes-Von-Walkthausen Museum.