Mark Rothko on His Paintings

One of my all time favorite painters is Mark Rothko. Probably one of the most misunderstood 20th century painters, his life is fascinating. He preferred cheap Chinese takeout to gourmet restaurants, and once turned down a multi-million dollar commission from Seagram's. After completing the works and visiting the location where the paintings were to hang, he decided he didn't want his work to be viewed by stuffy, greedy, business executives. I think he makes an important distinction in each of the two following quotes concerning the perception of his work:

"I’m not an abstractionist. I’m not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on."

"The fact that people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions.. the people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when painting them. And if you say you are moved only by their color relationships then you miss the point."

-Mark Rothko (1903 -1970)

He is not concerned with the relationships of the colors in his work, but of the relationship of the work to himself and the viewer, and the emotional response. Someday I would love to see some of his larger work in person.