Number 18, 1951, Mark Rothko

By Kathryn Kearney ’21

Mark Rothko developed his own style of painting which he called ‘multiforms.’ These large-blurred fields of color are not reminiscent of any true figure, symbol, or shape. Number 18 is an instinctive painting that evokes a feeling of warmth and fullness as it pulls the viewer in with an inviting energy. Number 18 pleasantly smothers the viewer with a visual and spiritual overload as it opens your eyes and mind to absorb the painting. The simplicity and deliberate lack of reference to an identifiable setting or figure ignite a sense of transcendence and oblivion.

In Number 18, a large rectangular patch is filled with layers of white paint and above that, a smaller orange patch divided by a greyish indigo bar. Because the orange lies above the white part of the canvas, the painting unravels and has a growing effect the longer that you look at it. The boxes appear to hover in and outside the plane of the canvas. There is a whitish pink color that outlines the painting that adds to the floating nature of Number 18.

Rothko’s choice to name the painting, Number 18, is telling of his desire to avoid the act of providing the observer with a reference or an association for them to latch on to as they explore the composition. The lack of a descriptive title ultimately prompts the observer to form their own relationship with the painting, challenging them to find their own meaning within the multiforms.

The Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Munson, Mary Murray, and Professor Shapiro discussed the discrete, but the still visible white frame around Number 18 and Rothko’s original intent for the painting not to be framed. The framing would imply that there was a different message within the composition, rather than the painting existing in reality versus inside of a frame. By standing in close proximity to the painting, the viewer can experience the colors transcending beyond the canvas itself, just as architect of the Munson, Philip Johnson intended to create “refreshing spots of orientation: ‘Space that helps us look at paintings’” (Murray 25) encouraging viewers to get fully engulfed by Number 18.