Mark Rothko (1903–1970) is world-renowned for his large-scale abstract paintings, icons of the New York School and of Abstract Expressionism, and is the subject of numerous publications. In this unique examination of Mark Rothko’s art and life, Christopher, the younger of the artist’s two children and overseer of his estate, synthesizes rigorous critique with personal anecdotes.
Christopher Rothko presents 18 accessibly written essays that address the use of scale, form, and color and the centrality of content across the artist’s output. The prominent commissions for the Rothko Chapel in Houston and the Seagram Building murals in New York receive extended treatment, as do many of the lesser-known and underappreciated aspects of Rothko’s oeuvre, including a reassessment of his late dark canvases and an argument for the relevance of his works on paper. The author discusses the artist’s writings of the 1930s and 1940s, the significance of humor and irony to the artist, and the enduring struggles with visual abstraction in the contemporary era. Christopher Rothko writes convincingly and movingly about his role as the artist’s son—the terms of their relationship, their commonalities, and the distance left by their brief time spent together while the writer was a child.
Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out is a thoughtful reexamination of the legendary artist, serving as a passionate introduction for readers new to his work and offering a fresh perspective to those who know it well.
