Sunday, February 04, 2007

Why am I interested in Mark Rothko?


1. Why is his work said to be spiritual?

2. He repeats the same subject over and over and over. Is he fooling us or is he searching for truth?

3. What was his personal life like? Was he happily married? Did he have kids? He commmitted suicide – was he mentally ill his whole life or just severely depressed at the end of it? In order to be a great artist is it necessary to be a little crazy?

4. Why are the Seagram murals  considered to be key works in 20th century art history? Does it have more to do with the controversy surrounding their acquisition than the paintings themselves?

5. Is it even possible to find the “spiritual” in art?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's definitely possible to find the "spiritual" in art. However, his works aren't 'it' for me!

Judy Martin said...

I think you have to see Rothko's works in person to be totally enveloped by the sheer size of the colour. It's apparently more than your eye can take in at one time, and so looking at a Rothko painting takes TIME. and during that time, there is a kind of spiritual (or something) change that happens to the viewer. I think I may have seen one Rothko in person in a group show...but most of the time all I get to look at are reproductions. I think it must make a difference, don't you?
And yes, I agree. It is possible to find the spiritual in art. Definitely.

Ruth Henriquez said...

I definitely find the spiritual in his art. It brings me outside of and away from all the various narratives going on in my head, into a quiet place of contemplation. I've never seen an original by the way. I think that would blow my circuits, in a good way!