Born in Dvinsh, Russia
1903 Jewish Upbringing
1925 Max Weber and the Art Student’s League
Emergence of Flat Shapes
WPA involvement during the Great Depression
Rothko never considered himself an abstract painter.
Instead, he wanted to create an
“experience� for his viewers.
Self-reflection.
You bring the emotions to the painting
This allows for endless interpretation of emotional content
Rothko minimized the Paint’s physical presence.
He perfected a unique dyeing technique
The sheer size of his works are meant to fill the viewer’s field of vision.
This became Transcendence.
Rothko’s earlier works tended to be light in Tone and bright in color.
Towards the end of his career, his palette became increasingly darker.
1963
1969
Increased hardness or sharpness of line.
Many world-changing unprecedented events happened during Rothko’s lifetime.
Rothko did not live in a bubble, and it is interesting to compare his artistic evolution with the current events of the time.
1930’s The Great Depression WPA Project 36-37
1941 U.S. Enters the Second World War
1954 Racial Segregation ruled to be Unconstitutional
1960 The Civil Rights Movement
1963 John F. Kennedy Is assasinated.
1965 Vietnam begins.
1968 Martin Luther King Is assinated.