The main character in John Logan’s play Red is Mark Rothko, a famous abstract expressionist painter. He is engaged to paint a series of murals for the new Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building. Rothko is driven by a passion for painting and is deeply concerned with living up to his artistic legacy. He is also struggling to make sense of the growing commercialization of the art world and his position as a celebrity artist. He is portrayed as a complex, tormented figure, at once brash and reflective. This tension between his ambitions and his insecurities is encapsulated in his relationship with his assistant, Ken, with whom he engages in a dynamic dialogue about art and life. By the end of the play, Rothko has achieved a sense of clarity and purpose in his artistic path.