Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkovich, was born on September 26, 1903, in Southern Latvia. His childhood wasn’t the best. After his father’s death, he was forced to learn English and support his family at a very young age. He migrated to the United States in 1913 and then dropped out of Yale in 1923, virtually clueless about his future. He then visited New York where he started painting. Rothko didn’t know what awaited him when he began painting and what significance his art would eventually hold.
Rothko’s art is not very well known and when it is, it is not adored. Next to many paintings, his work looks like, well… coloured squares. It may be strange to know that this painter started with human figures and urban scenes. Some of his work even looked fairly realistic. By the early 40s, he had done some surrealism. However, it was only in the late 1940s that the artist adapted to his style of floating shapes.
Yet, it’s fair to question what exactly the meaning was behind what Rothko drew. The squares symbolised more than just shapes to him; they represented emotions. Some canvases were huge, which allowed the viewer to get lost in the hues. In a time when colours were in paintings to assist the painting’s mood and help with understanding, Rothko had given colour the responsibility of expressing emotions itself.
Still not convinced about Mark Rothko’s art? I get it. Mark Rothko’s art was considered to be abstract expressionism. While some paintings would directly show you the figure or subject of the painting, abstract art allows you to discover what the painting means. This style of art allowed the artist to express his emotions and freely experiment. Rothko himself said that with his style, there was no barrier between the artist and the canvas. Rothko’s art was made to make the spectator feel something.
The most famous commission the artist received was for The Four Seasons restaurant. He, however, disliked the place and described it as ‘a place where the richest (fools) in New York will come to feed and show off.’ It was indeed luxurious and hosted many rich visitors. Upon considering this commission, Rothko wished to make paintings that would ruin the guest’s appetites and make them feel trapped. The paintings were enormous and a dark and harsh red – both intimidating factors. Eventually, Rothko decided he disliked the crowd so much, he wouldn’t even hang his paintings there. Instead, they were exhibited in London’s Tate Gallery.
Mark Rothko’s paintings got continuously darker towards the end of his career. Many linked this to the depression Mark Rothko suffered from. The artist eventually ended his own life in 1970. Few were surprised that he had taken his life, saying that Rothko had lost all passion for his work, which was perhaps his only driving force.
Regardless of whether you like him or enjoy his art, Mark Rothko was an admirable figure. His work and its controversial simplicity have mesmerised many and are truly interesting to look at. In a time when we all have a negative opinion on abstractism, it is important to look back at artists like him. It is their works that show us that art can be portrayed in many ways. One of those ways, we have learned, is through coloured shapes.
