Rothko. wtf? I don't get it

[sandrapinchedmysandwich]

I must be some sort of philistine but was reading on the news about a Rothko painting that was sadly damaged in Rotterdam recently by a child. Then I saw the art which to me is blobs of paint on a black background. Apparently this is worth 50 million pounds.

I know art means different things to different peoole, but really? Does anyone on here see anything else?

I'm not really a fan but I do like the colour = emotion aspect. We did our own Rothko style paintings in Y5 art recently and I thought I'd have a go with the children. I'd say mine was just as good as an original 😂.

I appreciate how they may look to us now in the 2020’s, but a lot of their importance/worth lies in how groundbreaking they were in the 40’s/50’s onwards when he made them; a completely different way to express something than what was the norm

I love Rothko.

Not reproductions, to go to Tate Modern and sit in front of the huge originals.

The dense colour swamps you in, they are moody, vibrant…

And I don’t think ‘anyone’ can do it.

The exact pigment, the size and shape and background of each colour… it all adds up.

I love Rothko too, you can absolutely loose yourself in the depths. Absolutely glorious.

Years ago there was a Rothko exhibition at the Tate Modern which brought together a lot of his paintings. Seeing them altogether was a very immersive experience. Difficult to put into words, but really affecting and has stayed in my mind ever since. I don't think it is necessary to understand why a painting has an impact on you, just as it isn't important to know why a piece of music does, it is just a personal experience. In the case of the Rothkos, it gave me a very peaceful feeling, almost like meditation. Everyone reacts individually to art, and that's surely a good thing.

I thought exactly the same as you until a few weeks ago when I saw the Turner and Rothko room at Tate Britain. Rothko at least as good as Turner, same genre, same expression on the canvas. Unbelievably accomplished. Came away with my new favourite picture, it was so beautiful

This is it, you can't really understand or truly appreciate a lot of 20c art without studying it in context and actually looking at a load of it in galleries. Even what today looks like chocolate box stuff like the impressionists was once revolutionary stuff that people couldn't bear so see and thought was just blobs of paint.

That said if you look at some modern knock off of a Rothko or a Jackson Pollock ( the kind of shit you see in hotels or offices) or similar then look at the real thing you will see why the originals are so good and why there's more to them than you might see at first.

Yes, as PPs have said you have to see the originals. They are huge and the choice of colours works to create a particular mood and atmosphere. A tiny image on a phone screen won’t capture it at all. The same with Jackson Pollock (who could also draw beautifully).

I went to that! You have described it much more eloquently than I could.

I find Rothko a bit meh but what I find totally bemusing is Morton Feldman's musical composition about him. Google it as MN won't let me post a link.
Personally I'd recommend putting ear plugs before playing it....

I'm another one that didn't get it until I sat in front of some of his paintings at the Tate Modern. It's a completely different experience. This will sound a bit 'woo', but they seem to shimmer and change a bit when you look at them - almost as if they're emitting light.
I believe there's a church in the USA that has Rothko paintings and people break down in front of them and have spiritual experiences!

It’s like Jackson Pollock. £50m+ for paintings which are paint flicked on.

if I did that, I would be laughed at

Well, you wouldn't. You'd just be accused of knocking off Jackson Pollock.

He did something brand new in the world of art, at the risk of being laughed at. You haven't because you don't have the imagination or the creativity or courage. He's an artist. Most of us aren't.

Go and see an original in a gallery if you can. Totally different experience. These paintings were not created to be viewed on tiny screens or as reproductions in a book and you can’t feel any of the energy and vibrancy from them unless you see them ‘in person’.

Thank you everyone. The small photo on the BBC page probably didn't do it justice then. It would be interesting to see some of his work in real life.

I'm uncultured, don't really have a clue about art and had to Google Rothko as I'd never heard of him. Similar styles can be found on my walls, where I'm trying to decide which colour to paint the room.

I'm definitely with you OP, but then I'm more passionate about things like music and nature which I guess other people wouldn't get in the same way.

Agree with this sentiment. There’s a book called something like “why your 5 year old couldn’t have done [maybe ‘painted’]this”… in sum, because they didn’t.

they didn’t have the original idea, they didn’t execute it, they didn’t have the vision

An interesting note is that there were so many forgeries created we don't really know which Rothko's are genuine or not. There is a fascinating documentary called Made you look (or something similar) about the man who created them and the collectors who were totally dumped!

On Pollock specifically, whilst I would usually content that the initial emotional reaction (whether that’s awe or “this is shit!”) a piece has on you is its utmost value, if you google “Jackson pollock fractals”, there’s SO much more to it all than just flicking paint.

I don’t think I can add much more than has already been said (very eloquently) by previous posters. But do go and see the originals if you can. They are wonderful and (at least, in my opinion) incredibly moving. You can almost feel the emotion that went into them.

There is something about them in real life - it looks easy until you look at a bad attempt

You couldn’t do it.

I agree they look entirely different in real life and viewing them can be a very emotional experience.

Also, it’s not just blobs of paint. There are so many layers and the resulting colours are incredibly rich and varied.

do go and see them. Ditto Pollock. As well as Gerhard Richter.

I was blown away when I first saw a Rothko in person. They’re just nothing like you would expect. So much more than just a block of colour.

Rothkos are the only paintings (and his colour block paintings not the early ones) that trigger any sort of emotional reaction in me. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate other art, but the Rothkos just make me want to cry. I really have no idea why but I love them. They are magical.