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Hans, Jolana, and I went to the Tate Modern as soon as we arrived in London. We were still sleep-deprived. Hans and I were hungry and had a bit in the cafeteria before heading for the galleries. What we don't know is we are about to witness an extraordinary thing.
Apparently Mark Rothko wanted his work hung a certain way -- not crooked or anything, but under gentler, more diffuse light than usual, and against a medium gray, rather than white, background, all so that viewers could tune in to the subtle range of lightness and color values in his work.
The Tate has installed a gallery according to Rothko's specifications and it works. I saw his paintings all over again. Not ten days later, the next Rothko I saw was hung in the usual manner in the Pompidou and it suffered against the glaring white wall.

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