Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red

Soft-edged rectangles of violet, black, orange, and yellow hover one above another on a field of white and red, the blurred bands of color seeming to breathe and float just off the surface. Mark Rothko arrived at this format - stacked, luminous zones of pure color - as a way to evoke deep emotion and a kind of secular transcendence. Now in the Guggenheim, this canvas is a classic example of his mature style, inviting slow, immersive looking - color freed of all imagery, meant to envelop the viewer in feeling, contemplation, and a quiet, hovering sublime.