mark rothko abstract expressionism color shape balance depth composition scale
TRANSCRIPT
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Color
Shape
Balance
Depth
Composition
Scale
1920’s & 1930’s
Expressionist
rothko
Untitled c.1926/1935
•Cézanne like images•Interiors w/figures•Crude application of paint
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Rothko
Self-Portrait 1936
•Deliberate deformations•Crude application of paint•emotional
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Self-Portrait 1936
Street Scene c.1937
•Street scenes•Children’s art•Emotional•Deliberate deformations•Flat•Crude application of paint
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Street Scene c.1937
1940’s
Style: Biomorphic (Myths & Symbols)
rothko
The Omen of the Eagle 1942
•Symbolic•The Spirit of Myth•Classical literature
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
The Omen of the Eagle 1942
Gethsemane 1944
•Symbolic•Old and New Testament•Horizontal bands
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Gethsemane 1944
Untitled 1948
•Organic Shapes•Large Canvas•Color
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Untitled 1948
No. 9 1948
•Horizontal bands•Organic shapes•Watercolor•Large Canvas
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
No. 9 1948
No. 8 1949
•Horizontal Bands•Thin, Overlapping Glazes•Large Canvas
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
No. 8 1949
1950’s & 1960’s
Style: Color Field Abstraction
rothko
White Center 1950
Nonobjective compositions
Asymmetrical
Emotional
Floating Rectangles
“Eye-catching” colors
Verticality relates figuratively and spiritually
Blurred edges make the color appear to vibrate
These works were mean to be meditated upon
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
White Center 1950
Untitled (Blue, Green, and Brown) 1952
Meditative
Emotional
Floating Rectangles
“I paint pictures because I want to create a state of total intimacy. A large painting is an immediate transaction, it takes you into it.
Rothko was one of the Leading figures in the Abstract Expressionist Movement
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
(Blue, Green, and Brown) 1952
He used rags more than he used brushes. The purpose for this was to stain the canvas and create areas of color that float on the canvas. He wanted no clearly defined space.
“ I am not interested in relationships of color or form or anything else…. I am interested only in expressing the basic human emotions- tragedy, ecstasy, doom and so on.. And the fact that a lot of people breakdown and cry when confronted with my pictures show that I communicate with those basic human emotions. The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experiences I had when I painted them. And if you , as you say, are moved only by their color relationships, the you missed the point.”
- Mark Rothko
1969
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
1969
Untitled 1968
Rothko used Magna Colors rather than oilor acrylic.
Magna colors are more similar to acrylicthan they are to oil, but they do not dry quite as quickly as acrylic paints dry. When mixed with turpentine, magna colors produce a translucent and luminous quality. Often times, magna colors are added to oil paint to help speed the drying time of the paint.
Mark RothkoAbstract Expressionism
Untitled 1968
Mark Rothko in his studio c.1964
Mark Rothko, as a result of being physically ill and suffering from depression,committed suicide on February 25, 1970. At the time of his death, he was widely
recognized in Europe and America for his crucial role in the development of
nonrepresentational art.