Both Matisse’s Woman with a Hat and Mark Rothko’s No. 61 eschew realistic imagery and coloring to use colors to express emotions more purely. Matisse rejected realistic coloring, but Rothko rejected concrete objects altogether to express emotions through blocks of pure color. When looking at No. 61, there is little that the viewer can do except ponder the meaning of the colors alone, stripped of all context. In this way, Rothko stands among the Abstract Expressionists who used pure, simple forms to communicate ideas. Woman with a Hat, on the other hand, uses its bold colors to enhance the expressiveness of its subject. Here, the colors, while being very eye-catching, serve to complement the woman rather than overshadow her. This stands in stark contrast to No. 61, where the colors are the primary- indeed, the only – thing for the viewer.