Mark Rothko Abstract 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 Rothko Abstract Expressionism

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Self-Portrait 1936 Deliberate deformations Crude application of paint emotional Mark Rothko Abstract Expressionism

Self-Portrait 1936

Street Scene c.1937 Street scenes Children’s art Emotional Deliberate deformations Flat Crude application of paint Mark Rothko Abstract 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 Rothko Abstract Expressionism

The Omen of the Eagle 1942

Gethsemane 1944 Symbolic Old and New Testament Horizontal bands Mark Rothko Abstract Expressionism

Gethsemane 1944

Untitled 1948 Organic Shapes Large Canvas Color Mark Rothko Abstract Expressionism

Untitled 1948

No Horizontal bands Organic shapes Watercolor Large Canvas Mark Rothko Abstract Expressionism

No

No Horizontal Bands Thin, Overlapping Glazes Large Canvas Mark Rothko Abstract Expressionism

No

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 Rothko Abstract 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 Rothko Abstract 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 Rothko Abstract Expressionism

1969

Untitled 1968 Rothko used Magna Colors rather than oil or acrylic. Magna colors are more similar to acrylic than 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 Rothko Abstract 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, At the time of his death, he was widely recognized in Europe and America for his crucial role in the development of nonrepresentational art.