Mark Rothko: The Story of His Life

by Francesco Matteuzzi, Giovanni Scarduelli (Illustrator)

Product Description
This unique portrait of Mark Rothko captures his astonishing use of color as it illustrates the story of his life, career, struggles, and philosophy.

Mark Rothko's work is among the most recognizable in modern art history. His huge color-field works enjoy enormous popularity for their luminosity, moodiness, and immersive qualities. But he didn't always paint in bold, simple swaths of color. This graphic biography traces Rothko's entire life, from his boyhood emigration from Russia to America, to his suicide in 1970. It touches on his schooling and early work for the WPA in the 1930s; the evolution of his art from representational to purely abstract; and the dawning of his artistic philosophy, which took him farther and farther away from the material world and toward a universally emotional and expressionist modality. The book's finely detailed drawings are Rothko's signature colors and draw readers into his fascinating creative journey. While Rothko the artist was largely misunderstood during his lifetime, this unique graphic biography offers a way of making sense of his life and of decoding the visual language he invented.

Genres: Art, Graphic Novels, Comics, Biography

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biografia a fumetti della vita di Rothko. Interessante l'approccio: l'artista affermato si racconta al bambino che era stato.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging graphic novel about the Russian-American painter Mark Rothko. It sketches the outline of Rothko's life, featuring scenes illustrated with a broad range of color: moving to America from Latvia in 1913, back when he and his mother could only speak Russian; receiving a scholarship to Yale university; moving to New York and becoming passionate about painting; highlights from his artistic career and his two marriages; and finally, his health problems. The book has a moment of grace at the end, choosing to conclude the story before Rothko's suicide in 1970.

I have only seen prints of Rothko's art, I don't think I've had the privilege of seeing his paintings in person. If I had, I'd probably be like that character in "Mad Men" who was so moved when he saw a Rothko painting up close that he was almost speechless. The graphic novel includes a scene from when Rothko was taking art lessons from the painter Max Weber, who tells him something that resonates deeply:

"When we paint, we are not merely creators of images... Art is not reproduction but revelation. With our strokes, with our colors, we go beyond that which is manifest and venture into the sublime. The goal is not to create the beautiful. It is to create the emotion."

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Rothko goes swimming in a lake, and while he is underwater thinking of life and death, the panels slowly change shape to look like one of Rothko's paintings with color fields. Rothko rises to the surface for air, but the illustration shows him inside the painting. It was a striking page, and the illustrator should take a bow.

Later in the book, this passage called back to that feeling:

"Historically, painting canvasses with large dimensions was about wanting to create sumptuous works. But for me it's the opposite... I am searching for intimacy. I want whoever looks at the painting to be sucked into the painting, as if they were part of it."

I came across this book while searching for a biography about Rothko, and I appreciated this volume so much I plan on looking up the author's book on Edward Hopper. Recommended for art fans and readers who like nonfiction graphic novels.

Favorite Quotes

[A college friend tells Mark:]
"I think that feeling different is your natural state. That not being like other people is what distinguishes you as an individual."
Some years from now I will think back to this moment. I will reflect that maybe she's right.

[After Mark moves to New York and visits a friend who is taking a drawing class:]
"In a single moment I realize two things. 1) That art is my destiny; 2) That I wasted the first twenty years of my life."

"How do you pull emotion out of a still life? Find out, and you will have discovered the secret of life itself."

"My painting is not abstract. It's something that goes beyond that. I'm not interested in the relationships between forms and colors. In fact, I'm not interested in forms or colors at all. Those are not my instruments. I paint with emotions."

[Dunja Brala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich bin fasziniert von Kunst und den Menschen, die sie erschaffen haben. Besonders abstrakte Kunst hat es mir angetan und einer meiner liebsten darstellenden Künstler ist Mark Rothko. Seine großformatigen Bilder mit den unterschiedlichen Farbflächen ziehen mich magisch an und in sich hinein. Das habe ich immer schon so empfunden. Über sein Leben wusste ich bisher wenig. Deshalb durfte diese Graphic Novel bei mir einziehen.
Ich freue mich wirklich sehr, dass die Intention des Künstlers genau das war, was sie bei mir erreicht hat, die Betrachtenden den Teil des Kunstwerks werden zu lassen.

Leicht hatte es Mark Rothko nie. Er immigrierte als Kind im Alter von 10 Jahren aufgrund der zahlreichen Programme gegen menschen jüdischen Glaubens aus dem russischen Zarenreich in die USA. Sehr lange fühlte er sich dort nicht zu Hause. Es dauerte 25 Jahre, bis er die amerikanische Staatsangehörigkeit anahm. Auch während seines Studiums war er ein komplizierter und Eigenbrötler Zeitgenosse. Der Weg zur Malerei war nicht geradlinig, letztendlich aber leidenschaftlich. Auch mit Beziehungen tat sich Mark Rothko schwer. Als ihn Krankheiten erhalten, beendete er sein Leben.
Die Autoren dieser Graphic Novel haben den Künstler erst seinem jüngeren ich gegenüber gestellt, um dann eine Reise durch sein Leben zu unternehmen. Die Umsetzung ist wirklich gelungen und gibt die Persönlichkeit des Künstlers sehr gut wieder ohne die Bilder mit Text zu überfrachten. So nimmt die Darstellung die Eigenheiten des Künstlers an, eigenbrötlerisch, wortkarg, doch für seine Kunst, brennend. Es macht mir auf jeden Fall Lust mehr über diesen Menschen zu lesen.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una bellissima biografia a fumetti di uno dei miei artisti preferiti.
Non conoscevo molto della sua vita, solo qualche opera di quelle più famose.
Un piacevole viaggio offerto da un artista del disegno: Matteuzzi.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetically presented the life of Rothko.

[Sofija · Rating 3 out of 5]

see oleks võinud natuke rohkem lahti selgitada ta kunsti

[treeseeker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this was dull.

[Manchind Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It uses the graphic novel medium to interpreted how Rothko’s life influenced his paintings in a very artistic and intentional way.

[Martine Geerardyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doet verlangen om een echte biografie van Rothko te lezen.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great look at Rothko's early life and making his way to the US and finding his place. Honestly I wish that there was a bit more on his later life and struggles that ultimately lead to his death. There is very little on the period where he was making the art that he is most known for and I feel like it could have been explored more.

[Andrea Samorini · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.instagram.com/dailyrothko/
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FROM BOOK: Mark Rothko: lo spazio e la sua disciplina (Riccardo Venturi)