Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Without Words... why I love Rothko.

I'm not always sure of what I am feeling. While I can easily communicate with others on most topics, I can be absolutely baffled by the storm within myself. Often, I have to sit a good long while in the darkness of knowing... or not knowing myself, to eventually arrive at an explanation for the current weather system brewing in my mind. Before I ever painted abstractly, I was quite bound to a literal visual language of the world around me. However, and without explanation (for myself), I also held a place in my heart for Rothko. His work was some of the first abstraction I had ever looked at... and I found myself quieted and humbled by it... not an easy state of being to inspire in an angsty tween. Now... after waiting a good long while to figure out why I connect with his paintings, I can see that it lies in the non-verbal. When I am wrapped in the intense mystery of not knowing what it is I am going through... but knowing that I am painfully alive... my insides vibrate like a Rothko. The current forecast, "No. 61" (1953).

1 comment:

  1. I love how you posted this the day after the class I mentioned Rothko. I love his work. My mind is constantly thinking, going from thought to thought. His paintings are pieces I can just get lost in. The size, the vibrancy, the tones of colors; they create a world that I could focus on one thought or none. Peace of mind...

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