Shine With Grace

I am not an abstract painter.  I am not interested in the relationship between form and color.  The only thing I care about is the expression of man’s basic emotions:  tragedy, ecstasy, destiny.

~ Mark Rothko 

I came across Mark Rothko’s art for the first time at Tate Modern in London earlier this year.

It’s hard to put it in words how I felt when standing in front of the paintings in person.  I just remember I couldn’t help but sat down on the bench and looked at each of them for I didn’t know how long, feeling absorbed and deeply touched.

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 colour relationships then you miss the point.

The artist’s words above might be the best remarks for the experience.  

The paintings in display in Tate Modern were originally commissioned for a restaurant. Soon realised that their brooding character required a very different environment, the artist presented them to the Tate Gallery. 

Learn more about Mark Rothko:

• Mark Rothko at Tate
• Mark Rothko at National Gallery of Art
• Wikipedia
• Artcyclopedia

Further Reading:

Related posts:

• Breathing Space

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