Mark Rothko's 'Untitled' is a radiant, majestic and deeply poignant finale to Mark Rothko's oeuvre — his penultimate canvas before his untimely death in February 1970.

Rothko's three zones of dark green allow shards of underlying brightness to penetrate their forms, creating a cavernous, near-cinematic sense of space. Opacity and translucency merge seamlessly across the breadth of the canvas, giving rise to a luxuriant, velvet-like texture that remains in permanent flux.

Sidestepping the somber palette of his so-called 'Black on Gray' paintings that dominated much of his final year, this work represents the artist's glorious return to color within the last two months of his life.

Rothko once described the floating rectangular shapes in his paintings as 'performers,' who 'begin as an unknown adventure in an unknown space.' He explained that his visions were not intended to be 'grandiose,' but rather intimate and 'human.' Here, his green bands quiver like silhouettes against the night sky.

Mark Rothko (1903-1970), 'Untitled', 1970. Estimate on request.

20th Century Evening Sale — 13 May, New York
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