Tropical South America

Creative rationale

Over the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru, where extreme altitude creates an almost alien atmospheric environment with exceptionally low pressure and bitter cold temperatures. The frigid 2.6°C reading and crushing low pressure of 636.9 hPa suggest a landscape where air itself becomes thin and precious, while the moderate humidity creates an ethereal quality to light and color. This harsh yet sublime mountain environment calls for Rothko's most contemplative palette - deep ultramarines and near-blacks that seem to absorb light while paradoxically glowing from within, arranged in two weighty horizontal bands that mirror the oppressive yet beautiful weight of thin mountain air.