Mark Rothko, 1903-1970

by Diane Waldman

In this major critical appraisal, Diane Waldman assesses Mark Rothko's place in the history of twentieth-century art. She writes of his childhood as an immigrant from Russia, his student days at Yale, his early career as a struggling artist, and his crucial role in the development of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. The progression of his work is analysed in detail, from his early figurative experiments of the 1920s to the emergence of his characteristic mature abstract style, with a particularly illuminating discussion of the achievement of the late canvases. His relationship with such contemporaries as Adolph Gottlieb and Clyfford Still is also examined in some depth. A detailed chronology of Rothko's life and an exhaustive exhibitions list and bibliography are valuable ancillary features. The many illustrations include not only reproductions of oils and water-colours, but also photographs of the artist, his family and friends.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

296 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1978

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The commentary is informative and interesting and is well-written throughout. The reproductions of the paintings are mostly great, but why in the world did they not go ahead and get color reproductions of all of them? The color prints looked amazing but the ones printed in grayscale seemed pointless. I got this from the library so I'm not too disappointed but I wouldn't own this book because of that.

[Ed Smiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a general note, I am very pleased with the care Taschen puts into their art books.

The book gave a very good precis of Rothko's life in a small volume. This is a slim and affordable book, but the illustrations are incredibly well chosen, and the color printing is just fabulous. The version I bought was a trade paperback.

With Rothko's work, much relies on subtle flutterings of hue and value and luminous variations of nearly monochrome fields, and merely good illustrations would lose so much. The selections give a good representation of Rothko's work, especially his signature style, and enough of his earlier work to give a good flavor of his development.

If I were rating just the color reproductions I would give it 5 stars.

[Tim Earp · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a bio on Mark Rothko, I would recommend this over the Breslin bio. Breslin bio will put you to sleep. This one is much more concise and less psychoanalytical.
Plus - lots of color plates!!