Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Paintings Of Rothko And Basquiat

By Darren Hartley


Being abstract expressionist pieces, Rothko paintings are well known for their images featuring large and luminous color blocks. One of the best New York School of Abstract painters, Mark Rothko is most well known for delivering forms, figures and great color creation in the many paintings he created.

The orientation of the first abstract Rothko paintings was towards social themes with expressionist and surrealist undertones. Max Weber, who provided Mark with first hand knowledge and enthusiasm for European modernism, influenced Mark's output as evident in the subjects he chose. Another influential artist in the life of Mark Rothko was Marc Chagall.

The urban scenes and landscapes were often focal points for Rothko paintings. Figurative works were also part and parcel of these creations. Showcasing an expressive side to the art of Mark was his rough application of paint, a technique would later be the distinctive style for which he would become most known for during the course of his artistic career.

A patron of Basquiat paintings is sucked in and carried along an often intricate and complex journey through a maze of references. While often times the journey made little rational sense, a patron is nevertheless made to feel there is a need for him to take it. Because they cover everything from the inner city kids' game called skellys to Sugar Ray Robinson, Miles Davis and Da Vinci, Basquiat paintings prove to be mesmerizing, dense and full.

Actual words, etched in scrawl, take primacy in Basquiat paintings. They are perfectly placed streams of consciousness colliding with iconic images of crowns and skulls. Honestly a bit less dark than some of Basquiat's later works, a patron can get lost in this collision for hours on end.

Patrons are taken into the mind of a prodigal genius with flashes of an early style, just by looking at Basquiat paintings. The ubiquitous trademark crown, the black background and mirrored images, boxers and skulls are ominous in these works. The key to all of Basquiat's works, numbering to more than 2,000 from the ages of 19 to 27 are found in his early drawings.




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