GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Mark Rothko's vast fields of glowing color voice one of the great statements of 20th century abstract art. Like those of Jackson Pollock and Barnett Newman, Rothko's early mature paintings featured loosely geometric forms that the artist found in dreams, nature, and non-Western art. By the late 1940s, all three had abandoned the use of such biomorphic forms - organic shapes of cellular, plant, and human and animal life - for a completely abstract style that signaled an irrevocable change in the way art was made and perceived. Now the mere elements of a painting - its colors, forms, and scale, - were employed to bring about a confrontation between the viewer and the work meant to evoke the vitality, ecstasy, anguish, and tragedy of the post- World War II era.
Orange, Red and Red, a classic Rothko painting, induces this abstract and powerful way of experiencing art. Here Rothko laid down three contrasting color stains on an enormous raw canvas. Standing before this work, the viewer experiences the large, rough, orange square as an almost living force or power that seems to break out of the limits of any traditional concept of "picture." In this way, Rothko evokes an experience rather than illustrates one, relying on color, form, and scale to move his viewers to contemplate things transcendent, evanescent, and ultimately metaphysical.
Adapted from
- Charles Wylie, "Orange, Red and Red," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 276.
- Suzanne Weaver, DMA unpublished material.
NOTES
- updated provenance, updated geo x refs to "New York" based on the fact that Rothko was mostly working in New york city in his mature years
- DMA unpublished material = Suzanne Weaver, DMA resesearch document "Modernism/Postmodernism," n.d., Education files.
- Emily's notes moved from general description: Three contrasting color stains on a large raw canvas make up an environment within which a viewer can lose him/herself One confronts a large orange square with blurred edges, a veil seeming to float above the ground ofthe canvas. Some have likened this to standing within a landscape, being engulfed by natural elements. Mark Rothko evokes an experience, however, rather than illustrating one, relying on color, form, and scale to move viewers to contemplate things elusive and spiritual. He writes that his painting is about "the transcendental experience." From Suzanne Weaver, DMA resesearch document "Modernism/Postmodernism," n.d., Education files
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1963-1968: Frank Lloyd, Marlborough New London Gallery, New York, NY [1]
From 1968: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation Incorporated [2]
[1] James E. B. Breslin, Mark Rothko: A Biography, (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press), 1993, 442, 646, footnote 114.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
13308503: UMO. Red: An Inside Look at the Art and Life of Mark Rothko; Maxwell Lincoln Anderson; Carol Mancusi-Ungaro; Joel Ferrell
193853247: UMO. Cohen-Solal, Annie, Mark Rothko, one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century, is known for his pioneering work and artistic innovation. From young Russian immigrant with harrowing memories of pogroms to world-famous artist, Rothko created work characterized by an emphasis on confronting the establishment. Join academic and cultural historian Annie Cohen-Solal as she discusses the enigmatic artist in her newest book, "Mark Rothko," featuring new biographical information based on recently revealed archival sources.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Rothko preferred that his paintings be shown in groups, together in the same room.
- Many have suggested that Rothko was drawn to the color red so frequently in his paintings because of its powerful associations with the elements of fire and blood, and thus with life, death, and the spirit.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1968.9
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Mark Rothko's vast fields of glowing color voice one of the great statements of 20th century abstract art. Like those of Jackson Pollock and Barnett Newman, Rothko's early mature paintings featured loosely geometric forms that the artist found in dreams, nature, and non-Western art. By the late 1940s, all three had abandoned the use of such biomorphic forms - organic shapes of cellular, plant, and human and animal life - for a completely abstract style that signaled an irrevocable change in the way art was made and perceived. Now the mere elements of a painting - its colors, forms, and scale, - were employed to bring about a confrontation between the viewer and the work meant to evoke the vitality, ecstasy, anguish, and tragedy of the post- World War II era.
Orange, Red and Red, a classic Rothko painting, induces this abstract and powerful way of experiencing art. Here Rothko laid down three contrasting color stains on an enormous raw canvas. Standing before this work, the viewer experiences the large, rough, orange square as an almost living force or power that seems to break out of the limits of any traditional concept of "picture." In this way, Rothko evokes an experience rather than illustrates one, relying on color, form, and scale to move his viewers to contemplate things transcendent, evanescent, and ultimately metaphysical.
Adapted from
- Charles Wylie, "Orange, Red and Red," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 276.
- Suzanne Weaver, DMA unpublished material.
Fun Facts
- Rothko preferred that his paintings be shown in groups, together in the same room.
- Many have suggested that Rothko was drawn to the color red so frequently in his paintings because of its powerful associations with the elements of fire and blood, and thus with life, death, and the spirit.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
- updated provenance, updated geo x refs to "New York" based on the fact that Rothko was mostly working in New york city in his mature years
- DMA unpublished material = Suzanne Weaver, DMA resesearch document "Modernism/Postmodernism," n.d., Education files.
- Emily's notes moved from general description: Three contrasting color stains on a large raw canvas make up an environment within which a viewer can lose him/herself One confronts a large orange square with blurred edges, a veil seeming to float above the ground ofthe canvas. Some have likened this to standing within a landscape, being engulfed by natural elements. Mark Rothko evokes an experience, however, rather than illustrating one, relying on color, form, and scale to move viewers to contemplate things elusive and spiritual. He writes that his painting is about "the transcendental experience." From Suzanne Weaver, DMA resesearch document "Modernism/Postmodernism," n.d., Education files
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
1963-1968: Frank Lloyd, Marlborough New London Gallery, New York, NY [1]
From 1968: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation Incorporated [2]
[1] James E. B. Breslin, Mark Rothko: A Biography, (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press), 1993, 442, 646, footnote 114.
[2] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
13308503: UMO. Red: An Inside Look at the Art and Life of Mark Rothko; Maxwell Lincoln Anderson; Carol Mancusi-Ungaro; Joel Ferrell
193853247: UMO. Cohen-Solal, Annie, Mark Rothko, one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century, is known for his pioneering work and artistic innovation. From young Russian immigrant with harrowing memories of pogroms to world-famous artist, Rothko created work characterized by an emphasis on confronting the establishment. Join academic and cultural historian Annie Cohen-Solal as she discusses the enigmatic artist in her newest book, "Mark Rothko," featuring new biographical information based on recently revealed archival sources.
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1968.9
source file
object_notes_3_a-0405.xml.nores