Norbert Marszalek blogs about a visit to Red: Ming Dynasty/Mark Rothko at the The Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., on view through February 20, 2017.

Marszalek writes: “The painting is Rothko’s Untitled (Seagram Mural sketch) from 1959 that was part of his Four Seasons commission. The dish is Dish with copper-red glaze from the Ming dynasty, 1426-36… What a brilliant idea to pair these two items together. Though created more than five centuries apart and for different motives, it’s eerie how alike they are. Both bewitch us with their layered red hues that change with every glance, tickling our visual perception. It’s beguiling how you can see the Rothko in the dish and the dish in the Rothko. This room … these two objects … deserve your quiet contemplation.”