1988; New York. Marion Kahan in a city warehouse, full of joy. The archivist is holding a folder of records that she believed to be lost forever among the bric-a-brac. The painter Mark Rothko passed away about twenty years ago, and in that same amount of time, this treasure has lain dormant and out of sight.
And what a priceless find! A stack of typescripts, penned by the artist forty years ago, revised by hand and crossed off, waited to be deciphered within the ancient bubble-wrap folder.
In 1960, Mark Rothko posed in front of one of the enormous works.
© Bridgeman Images/PVDE
The 1940s were in effect. Mark Rothko was a young man in his thirties who taught drawing to kids and had recently become a naturalized American. He did not yet enjoy the level of popularity he does now. The learned artist, a dedicated student of Nietzsche, was going through a dark time. He gave up painting figurative landscapes and took up a pen to write a manuscript titled The Artist's Reality. It was a lengthy reflection on Western art, covering major artistic periods from Surrealism to the Renaissance, as well as insightful guidance for aspiring artists.
Lesson 1: Imagining Like a Child
Mark Rothko, whose real name was Marcus Rothkowitz until 1938 when he became an American citizen, started his career as a children's drawing teacher. He offered the secrets to a successful artistic education in an article titled "New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers" that was published in the Brooklyn Jewish Center Review in 1934. "Painting is a language as natural as singing or speaking," according to the artist-teacher. Therefore, much as the children he watches and walks with every day, it is required to paint without realizing it. "These children have ideas, often good ones, and they express them with vivacity and beauty, in such a way that they make us feel what they feel", he analyses. Sincerity and authenticity are the two most important qualities for success!
in 1944, Mark Rothko painted in his studio.
Lesson # 2: Traveling Around the Globe
Rothko believed that the experience of the artist and his contact with the outside world is the primary source of his art. The painter must, on the other hand, strive to experience and record what he feels on the canvas—that is, to represent the invisible—instead of portraying reality as it is. Indeed, for Rothko, "the most interesting painting is that which expresses more what one thinks than what one sees". But a painting's "simple expression of complex thought" cannot be boiled down to only its shape or color. Since art deals with delicate realms, it is necessary to encourage reflection and meditation among all viewers.
Green, Blue, Green on Blue by Mark Rothko, 1968; oil on canvas; 102.9 x 66 cm; private collection; © 1998 Christopher and Kate Rothko Prizel / Adagp, Paris, 2020 / Christie's photos / Bridgeman photos
Lesson # 3: The necessity of art
Mark Rothko makes it very apparent that creating art is "essential to the health of the individual" and that it is a basic biological requirement for artists. The artist must produce in order to survive in this world, just as we need to eat and drink. "The painter paints because he MUST paint," says Rothko, and so "the practice of art is, as a social act, intrinsically important and requires no justification." That is the incredibly simple equation. Observed!
Untitled by Mark Rothko, 1948; oil on canvas; 98.4 x 63.2 cm; private collection; © 1998 Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel / Adagp, Paris, 2020 / picture Pictures from Christie's / Bridgeman
Lesson # 4: The environment's significance
In the discerning observer's eyes, a painting expands and revives, living through friendship. That meets the same end. Thus, putting it out into the public is a difficult and dangerous act," Mark Rothko, who was very cautious about the settings in which his paintings were shown, said in the 1947 issue of The Tiger's Eye magazine. The artist was extremely strict, even cruel, when organizing exhibitions, recording in his notebooks exact measurements for the lighting, the color of the walls to be off-white, the hanging to be done in accordance with the floor (rather than the ceiling), and most importantly, no artwork by other artists that would conflict with the audience's ability to view his creations. According to Rothko, the atmosphere enhances the creative experience just as much as the artwork.
The Rothko Chapel by Mark Rothko, Houston, Texas, 1971 i Menil Collection, Houston, 1998 Christopher and Kate Rothko Prizel / Adagp, Paris / Image Judith Kurnick
Lesson # 5: Move On
Leading the charge of Abstract Expressionism (though he consistently resisted being called that), Mark Rothko started out as a painter in the 1930s, producing realistic works like Entrance to Subway. The figure had progressively disappeared from his canvases by the late 1940s, replaced by a color combination that would go on to become the artist's signature. Rothko's ego vanished in these rectangles, which appeared to be windows opening onto endless landscapes, stripped of frames and even names. "Self-expression is boring," declared the guy who had always, at some point in his life, stopped viewing the world through the lens of emotion in an effort to convey "the feeling of universal tragedy."
1938's "Entrance To Subway" and 1953's "Untitled (White, Yellow, Red on Yellow)"
The Rothko Chapel
The Rothko Chapel appears to be a massive stone cube from the outside, with a shadowy entryway that appears to be waiting to take you in on either side. Get ready for an unforgettable experience. A revelation! This natural light-filled chapel, created by American artist Mark Rothko (1903–1970), is a contemporary art haven as well as a temple. This little octagonal room, which is accessible to people of all religions and whose plans depict a Greek cross, encourages reflection and meditation. Rothko's black paintings, which contrast greatly from the ones that made this outstanding example of colorfield painting popular, echo one another on the walls. A deeply spiritual conversation that challenges assumptions.
What you should be aware of
Jean and Dominique de Menil, a French collector couple residing in Texas, commissioned Mark Rothko in 1964 to create a meditation area embellished with his paintings. The latter created an octagonal room filled with natural light, drawing inspiration from his New York studio. The artist created fourteen enormous canvases in deep purple, two of which were triptychs. The painter's requests were met by a succession of architects, and the chapel was eventually opened in 1971. Sadly, Mark Rothko would never see his creations finished. In 1970, due to depression, he ended his own life. The Chapel was his final significant work of art. In 2000, it was added on the list of National Register of Historic Monuments.
Where to view it
in Houston, Texas. Situated on the periphery of a petite park populated by sculptures by Barnett Newman, Michael Heizer, and Ellsworth Kelly, the Rothko Chapel is scheduled to remain closed for renovations until 2021.
Seen in Beaux Arts www.vwart.com
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