Dear Imaginary Friends,
I had the pleasure of viewing the play Red at Arena Stage this Sunday. Red is a play about Mark Rothko, a prominent color field artist. The title relates to Rothko's rage and his emotional nature, as well as a common color theme of his work.
Rothko's work, despite his difficult personality, was widely regarded as transcendent. In the right lighting, it had an intensity reminiscent of a religious experience. When the Seagram's Building was erected in Manhattan, it became home to the very exquisite Four Seasons Restaurant, well-known for the cognoscenti that have always favored it.
The artist had a considerable painting commission from Phillip Johnson, the famous architect who designed the Seagram Building, to provide Rothko's massive color fields to be hung on the walls of the restaurant. Since Rothko was infamous for his principles, and his unwillingness to sell out or go commercial, it is no surprise that Rothko sent the check back, and instead installed the famed paintings at a special Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.
At the end of his life, his work was no longer the hottest trend. Instead, Pop Art rose in importance, thanks to Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenburg, Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Rothko slit his wrists and died at his own hand, having lost his prominence and his wife, who left him.
Your Imaginary Art Historian,
Patsie
