Tropical South America

Creative rationale

Over the Bolivian Altiplano in the high Andes of South America, the extreme atmospheric conditions create a contemplative and ethereal mood. The unusually cold temperature of 2.2°C at this tropical latitude, combined with the extremely low pressure of 623.9 hPa indicating high altitude, calls for Rothko's deep blues and blacks from his most introspective period. The high humidity of 94% demands colors that glow with inner luminosity, while the gentle wind of 1.5 m/s creates soft, breathing edges between two heavy horizontal bands that fill this thin-air landscape.