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Mark Rothko was an American abstract painter best known for his color field paintings. His paintings have been famously known to evoke emotional responses from the viewer; the effect of taking in the sheer size and grandiosity of the painting is an experience in itself.
Why Does Mark Rothko's Art Make People Cry
The shapes in Rothko’s art have fuzzy boundaries, outlined multiple times with layers upon layers of paint precisely pasted on in thin layers until the desired effect was achieved. Rothko’s color wash technique can be seen in the luminosity of the paint in the layers of it on the canvas.
One time Rothko even said, “I am not an abstractionist… I’m not interested in relationships of color or form…. I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on—and the fact that lots of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I communicate those basic human emotions… The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you… are moved only by their color relationships, then you miss the point!”
Rothko’s Early Life
Rothko went through many different art styles in his life, only in his later years switching exclusively to the idiosyncratic rectangles and squares that we know this artist by presently. Rothko and his family were originally from Latvia, then under occupation from the Russian Empire, before emigrating to the US and finally settling in Portland, Oregon.
Rothko found his niche in New York, like many of his other peers at the time. In 1925 Rothko began to study under Arshile Gorsky to be influenced by Eastern Surrealism. Both their paintings at the time had biomorphic shapes, but these would later give way for Rothko at least, to the floating color fields.
How Did Mythology Inspire Mark Rothko?
Mark Rothko had many influences throughout the years. He believed that American painting had reached a dead end with urban and nature scenes so Rothko in turn was interested in portraying anything other than that. He turned to mythology instead as a guide for what to paint. He wanted his subjects to be topical yet beyond what they were in real life, in Rothko’s words, “Without monsters and gods, art cannot enact a drama.”
Rothko was also interested in the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. He understood mythological symbols as being beyond symbols and transcending in their inherent meanings. He allegedly stopped painting for a year to read Sir James Frazer's study of mythology The Golden Bough, and Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams.
Rothko’s Color Fields
In 1947, Rothko discovered the technique that would later on be dubbed “Color Field painting” by a critic. His rectangular forms began to take shape in those paintings that we so easily recognize now. Originally these series of floating shapes were completed in bright, vivid colors, but these later on turned to darker and more subdued colors, potentially reflecting the artist’s mental health alongside the waning colors.
Seagram Murals Series
Rothko was awarded a mural commission in 1958 by a beverage company, Joseph Seagram and Sons. It would be a piece for the high-class diner, Four Seasons. It was a difficult task, as this would be one of the largest scale pieces of Rothko’s needing coordination of multiple separate pieces to make a cohesive whole.
In three months Rothko had completed forty pieces, changing his usual horizontal format to vertical to complement the interior of the restaurant. Rothko later told a journalist his motives behind creating the Seagram murals: he wanted to create something that would not only make the patrons feel like they’d lost their appetite but also that they were trapped inside the building.
Rothko’s inspiration for the feeling of being trapped was Michelangelo's Laurentian Library which he visited while he was in Florence. The building’s interior gave him the feeling of being walled shut, and this is what he wanted to emulate. Ultimately Rothko revoked the rights to the paintings after making a visit to the Four Seasons restaurants in person.
While he had already known about the luxury class of the restaurant the visit made it clear to him that the art and the establishment were not compatible, citing pretentiousness as a cause. His true reasoning for this remains a mystery still. The Seagram Murals now hang in three museums, London's Tate Britain, Japan's Kawamura Memorial Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The Larger-Than-Life Works of Mark Rothko
By 1968, Rothko had been warned about his poor health by his doctor, who told him to not smoke and drink. Rothko didn’t heed his advice, though he did switch from larger-scale paintings to smaller ones. In 1970 after a divorce from his wife, Rothko committed suicide at the age of 66, leaving behind a large body of work. At the time of his death, he was considered a crucial figure in the abstract art world.
Rothko’s legacy truly transcends him, the art he’s left behind is larger than life. One can really have an experience that’s beyond just any interaction with a painting in Rothko’s art. It’s like Rothko said though: it’s not just a response to color interactions. He was more interested in the genuine response of the viewer. So if you ever get a chance to view a Rothko in person, keep that in mind!