Somafunk; fair enough, but as long as you’re aware that all you are looking at are some crudely daubed large canvasses, not something crafted with exceptional skill or talent. And be aware that setting and context play a very important part in how your subconcious receives the work; take a Rothko painting, and stick it on the wall of a dull restaurant or office foyer, and you’d probably pay it no more than a fleeting glance; a splash of colour to brighten up the place. But put it in a prestigious art gallery, and suddenly people start raving on about it. Just makes me laugh really. But then I suppose peole will be along to attempt to justify it, and claim I’m ‘visually illiterate’ or some other such nonsense. By all means enjoy it, but you could get the same enjoyment out of looking at a damp patch on a wall, if you put your mind to it. that’s the truth.
Total bollocks. I’m with somafunk, I went to the Tate Rothko exhibition, because I was interested in seeing more of his work. Personally, I prefer his earlier, brighter works, but I can appreciate the later, darker ones. The reason I highlighted that sentence, is because one of the features of the exhibition were as series of photos taken of details of the restaurant group under different UV wavelengths. A mate of mine used to rave about Rothko, and would happily sit or hours staring at them, given a chance. I was ambivalent, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Anyway, these detail photos reveal that there are many layers to a Rothko, and those layers, which are applied in specific ways, fluoresce in different colours under UV. This is deliberate, not accident, and it seems Rothko was aware of the colour differences while painting, and it’s the reason my mate loves them so much, because he’s sensitive to the UV end of the visual spectrum, and can see details that are invisible to me.
You are clearly unaware of the underlying subtleties of Rothko’s paintings, and by continuing to dismiss them you are just making yourself look like a pleb.
I’m still trying to decide on a favourite painting; Hopper’s Nighthawks At The Diner, partly because of the Tom Waits connection, comes near the top of the list at the moment.