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From
the later 1930s to 1946 Rothko's oil and watercolor
paintings reflected his interest in Greek mythology,
primitive art, and Christian tragedy. Influenced
by the Surrealists Miró and André Masson, among
others, he explored the technique of automatic
drawing in creating abstract, diaphanous forms
that allude to human and animal life.
By 1947 Rothko had eliminated all elements of
surrealism or mythic imagery from his works,
and nonobjective compositions of indeterminate
shapes emerged. Within three years he reached
his signature format, painting two or three
soft-edged, luminescent rectangles, stacked
weightlessly on top of one another, floating
horizontally against a ground.
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