The artwork
No. 5/No. 22 is a monumental work by Mark Rothko, a key example of his "Color Field Painting", inviting the viewer to an intimate, almost spiritual contemplation.
The composition is defined by rectangles of colour floating on a luminous background. In the centre, an intense red-orange band pushes forward, surrounded by larger blocks of yellow and a pale, almost creamtone at the bottom. The edges of the colour fields are soft and vibrant, achieved by applying thin layers of glazes that allow light to penetrate and reflect, creating a deep luminescence.
Unlike many of Rothko's other mature works, this canvas features unusual elongated gestural incisions within the central red band, scratching through the paint surface to the canvas beneath. These violent markings give the work an unexpected tension and physicality, which the artist himself described as "rather violent", evoking the "great emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom."
Material of the finest quality
Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
The artwork comes with a certificate of authenticity, also on Amalfi paper, signed by the craftsman who made the print.
