An American Treasure...an American Tragedy - Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko, Untitled,1949, National Gallery of Art, Gift of The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc., 1986.43.138 - “Rothko largely abandoned conventional titles in 1947, sometimes resorting to numbers or colors in order to distinguish one work from another. The artist also now resisted explaining the meaning of his work. ‘Silence is so accurate,’ he said, fearing that words would only paralyze the viewer's mind and imagination. (National Gallery of Art)Russian-American painter Mark Rothko (1903-1970) introduced contemplative introspection into the melodramatic post-World War II Abstract Expressionist school. Rothko’s paintings that used color as the sole means of expression led to the development of Color Field Painting--one of the two most important strains of Abstract Expressionism. (The other was Action Painting.) Color field paintings are characterized by flat expanses of color, with a minimum of surface detail. Rothko believed that optical responses were all that mattered in painting--and that visible subject matter and illusion were unnecessary. A significant figure in postmodern art--it’s unfortunate that the artist came to a sad end. Suffering from ill health--and feeling abandoned by the many artists he’d influenced--Rothko committed suicide at age 67.