In the manner of Mark Rothko
American, 1903–1970
Untitled (Night Mode), 2026
Oil on canvas
250 × 200 cm
Never painted.
Commissioned for the collection, 2026.
PAB 2026.20.2
Moving, 8-second loop ·
Two soft rectangles, amber above and orange below, glow on a dark brown ground like a lamp behind a curtain. The edges breathe. Rothko wanted colour to do the work of a feeling, with no picture in the way. Night mode does exactly this to a screen: it takes the blue out and leaves you something warm to fall asleep in front of.
The brief
Two soft rectangles of warm amber and dull orange stacked on a dark brown ground, glowing faintly. Colour field abstract oil painting, two or three large soft-edged rectangles of colour floating on a coloured ground, edges feathered and bleeding, thin translucent layers glowing from within, monumental scale, no line, no figure, quiet emotional intensity, matte velvety surface with subtle brush drag. Museum photograph of the large oil painting, dim even gallery lighting, no frame, no text, no wall, no floor, cropped to the canvas edge.
Written to the house rules. The painter's name does not appear.
Take it home
The painting on this room's wall, at its own proportions, nothing written on it.
