Rothko's classic work is both instantly familiar and unexpectedly complex. This book reveals the broad scope of Rotho's career, from his early representations of New York City, through his treatment of images from classical mythology, to the abstract paintings that distinguish his signature style. The selection of works emphasizes the artist's investigation of certain compositional formats and motifs, concluding with the so-called black-and-gray paintings of 1969-1970. Four scholarly essays address Rothko's classic work from the vantage of specific formal elements: color, darkness, surgace, and space. Subjects range from his painting techniques to the philosophical themes that preoccupied him in his pursuit of an emotionally and intellectually expressive art. The text also includes a full chronology of Rothko's life, and interviews with five artists about his legacy.
This catalog was published in conjunction with a major retrospective exhibition of Rothko's work that opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and traveled to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 1998. Softcover with many illustrations.