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Henri Matisse 

Mark Rothko Untitled 1969 Acrylic on wove paper 60 1/2 x 47 9/16 in. (153.7 x 120.8 cm) Collection National Gallery of Art, Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc., © Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko

Notes for Rothko nerds:

I have tried for ten years to figure out how many Black and Gray and Brown and Gray Rothkos there are from 1968/1969. These numbers are still unknown to me and I think maybe to everyone as Rothko expert David Anfam, before his recent death, told me he thought it was an unresolved issue.

There may be as many as 20 (or more) Brown and Gray paintings on paper and over the years I have posted many of them. Better scans are available to me now, so when you look at some of these it's possible I have (possibly unknowingly!) posted it before. But I have chosen to solider on in this manner because certainly the resolution quality of a new scan I post will be better and usually it will be more accurate. "Accurate" is not a word that goes well with Rothko photography and everyone knows who ever tried to take a picture of one. But that's part of why I don't mind a repeat here and there as many looks may actually provide a clearer picture of the artwork than one.

The ones I have seen in person, of course, I am a much better judge of. They tend to my eyes to be darker than the usual catalog photography, maybe for obvious practical reasons. Here's where I could say something dumb about the journey, not the destination, but my general feeling is that if I don't mind considering how much I have pored over them, I am hoping neither will you.