Mark Rothko Research

Mark Rothko born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, was an American abstract painter of Latvian Jewish descent. He is best known for his colour field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular regions of colour, which he produced from 1949 to 1970.

According to Rothko, framing a painting implies that there exists a different reality in the work. But he did not distinguish between the canvas and the world outside. The intention was to “eliminate all obstacles between the painter and the idea and between the idea and the observer”.

Rothk’s early figurative work - including landscapes, still life’s, studies, abs portraits - demonstrated an ability to blend Expressionism and Surrealism. His research for new forms of expression led to his colour field paintings, which employed shimmering colour to convey a sense of spirituality.

I like Mark Rothko’s artwork as it is simplistic yet still abstract where others can interpret it how they like. They all show colour which tap into our most basic human emotions and convey feelings throughout each painting.