Can Mark Rothko’s №16 (Red, Brown, and Black) (1958) Be Appreciated Without Being Predisposed to It?

Alexandra Oduber
Nov 5 · 7 min read

Acclaimed Russian-American art professor and scholar H.W. Janson wrote “not every beholder responds to the works of this withdrawn, introspective artist. For those who do, the experience is akin to a trance-like rapture” [1]. However, Rothko’s №16 (Red, Brown, and Black) (1958) challenges this claim by successfully inciting an affective response through use of common symbols that are able to transmit certain feelings. This ideology suggests that Rothko’s №16effectively uses color and…

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Alexandra Oduber

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Undergraduate student based in New York City. I write about contemporary art and its intersection with culture, technology, and digital trends.

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