The Mark Rothko’s Studiowith Abstract Reality ART HIST RY KIDS

LET’S MEET THE ARTIST

Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz Mark Rothko September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970 Mark Rothko was born in Russia (present day Latvia), and he was the youngest of four siblings. His father was pharmacist, and also a social activist. He worried that his older sons would be called on to fight in the Imperial Russian Army, so he took the older boys and relocated to Portland, Oregon. Mark (along with his mother and sister) joined them a little later, arriving in the United States at Ellis Island in 1913. They made their way across the country and were reunited with the rest of their family, but Mark’s father died soon after.

Mark was a studious child, and by the time he graduated from high school, he had mastered four languages! He was a passionate young man and held strong views about political and social issues– just like his father. He received a scholarship to Yale, but he only studied there for a couple of years before leaving. He found the envi- ronment to be “elitist and racist.”

Mark went to New York City and started hanging out with other intellectuals and artists. In addition to making art, they spent a lot of time contemplating and discussing philosophical ideas. Rothko transitioned from making representational paintings to developing his famous “biomorphic” forms. He co-authored a manifesto that explained some of the group’s artistic ideals. They wrote, “Art is an adventure into an unknown world” and “We favor the simple expression of the complex thought.” Mark Rothko in his West 53rd St. studio, 1952-1953, photo credit: Henry Elkan, Smithsonian

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ART MOVEMENTS Abstract Expressionism + The New York School If an artist isn’t painting the things they see – like a portrait, a still life, or a land- scape – then what are they painting?

For a group of artists (including Mark Rothko) who were exploring abstract painting techniques in the 1940s and 1950s, the answer was: they were painting their internal world... their feelings.

These painters were known as Abstract Expressionists, and this movement was very new and exciting. It completely changed the direction of art – shifting the focus from Paris to New York City. There were several active Abstract Expressionist painters who contributed to the movement, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Helen Frankenthaler (whose work is featured in the September 2018 lesson in The Studio). It’s fascinating to see how each artist painted in their own unique style, but the movement connected their art through a few common themes: their art was abstract (non-representational) most used large scale canvases the art was full of spontaneity paintings were based on the artist’s internal world and the art expressed their personal beliefs But the paintings looked wildly different because of the approaches used by each of the artists– some exploring color field paintings, others using techniques like dripping or pouring their paint or incorporating expressive physical movement to create paintings that were full of abstract visual action!

You may hear people talk about this time in art, and they’ll say the artists were from ‘The New York School.’ This is just a broad collective of creatives who were informally grouped together because of how they were making art. In addition to painters, The New York School also includes poets, film makers, composers, dancers, and photographers.

Some people describe the Abstract Expressionist movement as avant garde. Art Vocab According the dictionary, avant garde is defined as: “new and unusual or avant garde experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them.”

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ELEMENTS OF ART Scale Let’s take a closer look at how Mark Rothko used the elements and principles of art. We’ll start with scale.

In art, the scale of a painting refers to its size. Look at the size of Rothko’s art compared to these people. How do you think the scale contributes to the overall impact the art has on the viewer? How would the effect be different if these canvases were smaller? Or larger?

Rothko has talked about the scale of his work, and how his intention was for the art to contain or envelop the viewer. He was not trying to make art that was "grandiose," but rather to paint on a scale that was "intimate and human.”

“Small pictures since the Renaissance are like novels; large pictures are like dramas in which one participates in a direct way.” –Mark Rothko

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ELEMENTS OF ART Balance It’s interesting to look at the way Mark Rothko uses balance in his compositions. These paintings are not exactly symmetrical, but they all look and feel really balanced. How did Rothko do this? He paid close attention to the relationships between the colors (and their values) and the size and placement of the forms. How would his art feel different if things were placed off center? Why do you think he arranged the compo- sitions the way he did?

“A picture lives by companionship, expanding and quickening in the eyes of the sensitive viewer.” –Mark Rothko

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ELEMENTS OF ART Texture During the Renaissance, painters worked really hard to hide their brushstrokes.

But Abstract Expressionists did the opposite They featured their paint and their brushstrokes as an import- ant part of the art. Let’s take a close up look at one of Rothko’s paintings so we can really see the energy in his brushstrokes and understand how the texture adds so much visual interest to his paintings.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis Untitled (Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red), 1949

Beginning around 1947, Mark Rothko stopped naming his painting using descriptive words. He preferred to leave them ‘Untitled’ or simply list a few of the colors he had used and use that as the title of the painting.

Sometimes his art was mistakenly thought to be decorative, and some said the abstract nature of it was impersonal, but seeing Rothko’s art in person reveals how powerful these paintings really are.

Rothko spoke about the meaning behind his paintings, and how he used color to convey emotion in many of his paintings. He also noted that his art was an expression of his spirituality.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis No. 61, 1953

Mark Rothko explained that his art was a representation of the human experience.

He said, “I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.”

Some people have described his paintings as:

being mysterious,

looking hazy,

glowing,

feeling tranquil,

having an emotional intensity, and

seeming contemplative.

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LOOKING CLOSER AT THE ART Art Analysis Untitled (Black and Gray), 1969

Mark Rothko’s paintings have an ethereal quality about them. Some people have wondered if these grey and black paintings (that were painted around the same time as the moon landing) may have been abstract lunar landscapes.

His unique style of painting large expanses of textured colors were collectively called his color field paint- ings. In these paintings, he achieved a really amazing texture and a lumines- cent quality in his art by using a technique where he painted in thin, layered washes of color that made the art look as if it was glowing from within.

His vast large-scale canvases were meant to be seen up close – Rothko recommended viewing them from a distance of 18 inches so that the edges of the canvas would be seen in the peripheral view and the viewer would feel completely engulfed by the art.

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THE ART OF REPETITION One Idea, Endless Variations Isn’t it fascinating to see how many color field paintings Mark Rothko created? This seemingly simple formula can be replicated over and over again, each time producing a fascinatingly fresh finished work of art! They each have their own unique personality, evoke different emotions, and each paint- ing has its own wonderful texture.

Enjoy this round up of several of Rothko’s color field paintings, and whenever you think you’ve “already done” something before, remember how Rothko took one idea and made it intriguing and new... hundreds of times!

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN... This week we’ll use Mark Rothko’s art as our inspira- tion. We’ll explore making art on a grand scale and using Rothko’s painting technique of building up layers of color. (This may mean stepping away from your art for a little while in between layers to give the paint time to dry.)

Click here to see a video that demonstrates Rothko’s painting technique. 1. Collect your supplies Will you paint on butcher paper? Or do you Consider this: have something else BIG around the house Something to consider that you’re allowed to paint on? as you make your art... 2. Choose your colors The impact of large scale art is Different colors will create a different mood in something that’s difficult to fully your art... what kind of mood are you trying to appreciate when you see the art express in your painting? online or in a book. If you have an opportunity to see Rothko’s art in 3. Think about technique person, you will be able to see it the Remember how Rothko would gradually build way it’s meant to be seen,... and up his areas of paint, creating multiple layers appreciate it on a whole new level. along the way. This creates a rich and Can you create your art on a larger luminescent quality in the art! scale this week? Maybe work on butcher paper, or find something big you’re allowed to use for your art. 4. Share your masterpiece Post a photo in our facebook group!

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