Many of us know Mark Rothko for his stark, yet beautifully colored paintings. But a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, featuring more than 100 of Rothko’s works on paper, gives us new insight into his creative process. Robert Aubry Davis takes us into “Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper.” | WETA

“I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on. And the fact that a lot of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions.” — Mark Rothko Artist Mark Rothko sought to make paintings that would bring people to tears. He painted to explore the depths of himself and the human condition. For him, art was a profound form of communication, and art making was a moral act. Born in Latvia in 190