An enormous but sincere painting. A seemingly simple but profound style. American painter Mark Rothko (1903-1970) He was an artist of contrasts. Art history has blessed him as one of the greatest masters of art. abstract expressionismAlong with Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. But throughout his career he developed a very personal, unmistakable pictorial language. One of the most salient lessons of the comprehensive retrospective is Basis Louis Vuitton Dedicated to Rothko.
Located in the forest of Boulogne (west of Paris), this important private cultural institution is on display until early April. 115 squares One of the greatest artists of the second half of the 20th century. Many came to Europe from American museums, and 13 came from private collections. This is not only the most ambitious exhibition dedicated to Rothko in France in recent years, but also one of the most notable exhibitions in the French capital this autumn and winter.
Seventy years after Rothko reached his artistic peak, his abstract paintings command attention and admiration. And they were despised by critics at the time. “A kind of Mondrian effect “A type fluid in the abandonment of lines and contours,” art critic Howard Devree wrote disparagingly in 1950. New York TimesHe compared his works with the works of the Dutch artist, one of the pioneers of the period. pictorial abstraction.
“Removing all obstacles”
One of the most important moments in Rothko’s career was the abandonment of human figuration and any imitative evocation of reality. “The painter’s work evolves towards greater clarity over time, aimed at eliminating all obstacles between artist and ideabetween the idea and the viewer, the American artist wrote in the magazine in 1949. Tiger’s Eye. This process led him to abstraction. However, he went through decades of apprenticeship before reaching his artistic maturity. This is clearly seen in the retrospective in Paris.
born in 1903 jewish family He lived in Dvinsk, Russian Empire (now Latvia), but emigrated to the United States when he was ten years old. There he began studying at Yale University, but quickly dropped out of college and went to live in New York to begin his career as an artist. The first room of the exhibition is devoted to the first paintings made in the 1930s. Matisse fanRothko sought to depict New York modernity in a figurative and expressionist style. “I am part of a generation that is very interested in the human figure. But this doesn’t suit my needs. When I represent it, I cripple it, Rothko wrote disappointedly.
His first paintings were out of this world. After this initial expressionist phase, he devoted himself to art in the following decade. art mythologicalWith the obvious influence of Picasso. His style oscillated between symbolism and surrealism, very fashionable at the time. It is also reflected in works like this. antigone 1941 or Sacrifice of Iphigenia 1942. His creations did not stand out, although by that time Rothko had already written a treatise on art.
In fact, the most interesting thing about that period is that although the American imitated other people’s styles, The features that would characterize his abstract style years later were already evident in his paintings. For example, a certain aptitude for technique smoke and a messy picture. It could even be described as atmospheric.
A unique yet universal painting language
Starting from the 1950s, Rothko abandoned figuration completely and adopted his unique abstract style. He drew dozens and dozens of compositions another with three horizontal rectangles on a background with chromatic variation. These paintings gained size and became more gigantic. He also stopped giving them titles. You can see dozens of works by this artist at the Louis Vuitton Foundation period classified as “classical” By Rothko experts. The American artist, on the other hand, did not like to talk about his works. He preferred these to communicate directly with the audience.
Paintings for the Four Seasons
“I imprisoned the most absolute violence in every centimeter of its surface.”, wrote Rothko with complete artistic maturity. In this quote, evoked in the exhibition, he seemed to summarize the famous dichotomy between Apollonian (order and symmetry) and Dionysian (ecstasy and violence) that Friedrich Nietzsche considered. The American artist was also a regular reader of the Danish theologian in those years. Soren KierkegaardHe is one of the pioneers of existential thought in the 19th century. Rothko did not seek formal originality with his abstract art, but instead aimed to question the human condition. His paintings turn out to be pictorial music. They offer a thought-provoking journey of contemplation for both believing minds and sensitive earthly souls.
Another success of the exhibition is that it shows the differences and changes that occurred in that “classical” phase. One of the rooms is devoted to the monumental paintings that Rothko painted for himself. New York restaurant Four Seasonsbut they were eventually exhibited in a particular room of the Tate Modern in London, where they were compared to art. William Turner (1775-1851, much admired by Americans.
These canvases are painted with black vertical rectangles and different grades of garnet They are among the strongest in the entire exhibition and are just another room of canvases painted in variations of black and brown. It is undoubtedly an indication of Rothko’s ability to develop a universal pictorial language. A true genius that can be seen in Paris until April 2.