art history
Untitled, 1969
and (in) stretching one’s arms again, transcendental experiences became possible." These works were meant to overwhelm the viewer in a transcendental experience. Rothko advised galleries and museums to hang these works low to the ground and encouraged viewers to stand very closely to them, so that they would feel “enveloped within" the work. In these pieces, Rothko sought to express “basic human emotions - tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.” He declared that “The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when I painted them. And if you are moved only by their color relationship, then you miss the point.”
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While the 1950s, saw these abstract works becoming increasingly fashionable to own, Rothko became disillusioned by what he feared were superficial reasons behind this popularity. This mistrust of his patronage was most dramatically seen when he withdrew from his commission to paint works for the luxurious Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagrams building of New York.
The commission that seems most aligned with Rothko’s philosophical intention behind his works, is the 1965 Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. Rothko worked closely with the architects of this sanctuary, which originally was to be Roman
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Catholic but is now non-denominational. He helped create the design of the meditative environment, which showcases fourteen large-scale mural works, 3 of which are triptychs, inspired by the traditional format of Western religious painting. These monumental works are in deep maroon, purple and black, inspiring a sense of staring into the darkness of the universe. These deep, rich tones, in such a tranquil setting, seem to inspire contemplation and a sense of hermeticism. Within this chapel, we see Rothko reaching for the transcendental spiritual experience he sought in creating his paintings and sharing them with the audience: "The most important tool the artist fashions through constant practice is faith in his ability to produce miracles when they are needed. Pictures must be miraculous: The instant one is completed, the intimacy between the creation and the creator is ended. He is an outsider, the picture must be for him, as for anyone experiencing it later, a revelation, an unexpected and unprecedented resolution of an eternally familiar need.” Sadly, Rothko did not live to see the completion of this chapel, though, the environment he helped to create offers viewers a place to contemplate the universal, challenging spiritual questions of this mortal existence. His paintings there stand like a piece of his heart left behindcomplete with all his human tragedies and triumphsand provide an almost comforting reminder that we humans are not alone in this life’s struggle.