№ 9

Medium: oil on Canvas.
Location: National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA.
Size: 134.7 × 118.4 cm

One of the first fully abstract works presented at the artist’s personal exhibition at the Betty Parsons gallery in 1949. Compared to surrealistic landscapes and expressionistic figure compositions, “№9» delights you with its elegance and concision. This work does not have those clear recognizable contours characteristic of Mark Rothko’s mature work, though his desire to express the concept of a work with the help of color alone is clearly noticeable. Rich orange, pink and yellow shades on the canvas come in contrast with the black and blue areas. The colors do not have clear boundaries, but still do not flow into each other and do not mix, each remaining at its own, clearly defined place.