Product Description

Very early in his career, Mark Rothko identified the relationship between the painting and the viewer as the central focus of his art. This appealingly designed publication delves more deeply into his concept of ;a sensual fusion beyond the reach of language - (Oliver Wick) Mark Rothko, the great American artist of Russian descent, is one of the chief exponents of Abstract Expressionism. His paintings, predominantly in a large format and featuring horizontal layers of pigment on a monochrome foundation, will forever be in our pictorial memory as the epitome of classical modernism. By means of Rothko's central work groups from all creative periods - among them the Rothko Room in the Phillips collection and the Harvard Murals of Harvard University - this book takes a look at the artist's continuous endeavour to attain - a consummated experience between picture and onlooker - Rothko's adamant insistence on controlling the presentation of his works set him apart from the art scene of his time as early as the beginning of the fifties. His large-format pictures were to be hung closely together in small rooms with soft lighting to provide an immediate experience - a concept which has been most famously and definitively realized in the Rothko Chapel in Houston.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115030 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-11
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 204 pages

About the Author
Mark Rothko, born Markus Rothkowitz (Dwinsk 1903-1970 New York). In 1910, emigration to Oregon. From 1921-1923, studies at Yale University, New Haven, from 1924-1929 at the Art Students League in New York. In 1935, cofounder of the Expressionist artist group The Ten. In 1949, founding member of the association Subject of the Artist School. In 1970, Rothko puts an end to his life in New York.

Customer Reviews

It's Awesome
This book contains many of Rothko's early, later, and intermediate works making it easy for the reader to see the trasitions that he made. The beautiful reproductions in this book are almost as good as visiting the actual museums. I could practically feel his power eminating from the pages. His life story could have been better told, but the dramatic reproductions more than make up for the less than perfect prose. I highly recommend this book not only for Rothko enthusiastics like me but also for all art lovers in general. Whether you understand, pretend to, or blatantly dislike his works this is a book that should not be missed.

Disappointed by the quality of the reproducions.
A thick, beautiful looking coffee table book, but if you seek an approximation of Rothko's work, you won't find it here. Rothko's work was full of vibrancy and beauty, but this book offers flat, lifeless reproductions. The blacks are not black and shadow details do not exist. The colors are often so far from the originals that you must use the artist's titles for clues as to what the actual colors were.

Nice reproductions. I you love Rothko, this should be yours
The show was overwhelming. If you get Rothko, get the book. If you don't, try harder. He was ahead of his time and the greatest artist of our time. Sit in front of an original Rothko for an hour (even better with your glasses off and a buzz on) and listen with your soul.