White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)

White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)
Mark_Rothko_White_Center_(Yellow,_Pink_and_Lavender_on_Rose)_(1950)
Artist Mark Rothko
Year 1950
Medium Oil on canvas
Location Private collector
Dimensions 81 x 55.5 in
205.8 × 141 cm
Mark Rothko Famous Paintings
White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), 1950
Four Darks in Red, 1958
Untitled (Black on Grey), 1970
No. 3/No. 13 (Magenta, Black, Green on Orange), 1949
Orange, Red, Yellow, 1961
Black on Maroon, 1958
Complete Works

A Russian born painter, influenced my philosophy and mythology, Mark Rothko’s art grew through a range of styles. From figurative to abstract works, Rothko’s paintings were full of emotional content. White Center was one of Rothlo’s most popular paintings. An abstract painting, completed in 1950, White Center was sold in 2007 for 72.84 million USD. This post-war Rothko painting is considered to be one of the most expensive pieces of contemporary art ever sold at an auction.

Art Techniques

The painting, top to bottom, signifies Rothko’s multiform style of abstract painting. A rose ground, darker in color on top and paler at the bottom, holds a horizontal yellow rectangle, followed by a black horizontal strip. A white rectangular band is in the center of the painting, and the bottom is lavender. Several tones of the colors were used, establishing the effect of a wide range of mood and atmosphere.