Rothko: The Color Field Paintings

by Janet Bishop, Christopher Rothko (Foreword by)

Overview

“Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of 50 paintings, this book celebrates the rich artistic legacy of American artist Mark Rothko” (Publishers Weekly).

Mark Rothko’s iconic paintings are some of the most profound works of twentieth-century Abstract Expressionism. This collection presents fifty large-scale artworks from the American master’s color field period (1949–1970) alongside essays by Rothko’s son, Christopher Rothko, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curator of painting and sculpture, Janet Bishop.

Featuring illuminating details about Rothko’s life, influences, and legacy, and brimming with the emotional power and expressive color of his groundbreaking canvases, this essential volume brings the renowned artist’s luminous work to light for both longtime Rothko fans and those discovering his work for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452156606
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	73
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was one of the most important painters of the twentieth century.Christopher Rothko is Mark Rothko's son. He is a writer and psychologist and chairs the board of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.Janet Bishop is curator of painting and sculpture at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Editorial Reviews

05/08/2017
Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of 50 paintings, this book celebrates the rich artistic legacy of American artist Mark Rothko and his signature works as a painter of abstract canvases. Rothko’s color-field paintings—which depict groupings of two, three, or four colored rectangles arranged in vertical alignment—are the ultimate evolution of his abstract compositions. The shifting height and width of the color-field paintings’ components and the sometimes dramatic alternations of fiery orange and red colors with somber blue and purple hues became Rothko’s unique painterly mode of expression. The paintings are presented in chronological order, allowing the reader to view the evolution of their style over time; as Janet Bishop, curator of painting at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, points out in her introductory essay, Rothko’s palette darkens in the years leading up to his suicide in 1970. The focus of the book is on the paintings themselves: each painting is presented on its own page, facing a page that is blank save for the painting’s title, date, and dimensions. It’s a simple, well-executed coffee-table book that lets the artwork speak for itself. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of 50 paintings, this book celebrates the rich artistic legacy of American artist Mark Rothko and his signature works as a painter of abstract canvases.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher