Mark Rothko (1903–1970) was a staunch advocate of the artist’s complete freedom of expression and shunned categorisation and any attempt at a definitive interpretation of his paintings.

Although he is often regarded as a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement that emerged in New York, Rothko rejected labels and insisted on creating “a complete experience between the painting and the viewer”, an intimate encounter in which the work is completed in the gaze.

Following an early figurative phase, he developed his iconic canvases of large blocks of colour—reds, yellows, ochres, browns, blacks or greens—which seem to vibrate between tragedy, ecstasy and doom. Rothko emphasised that he had not eliminated the human figure, but had replaced it with symbols or forms capable of containing the full tragedy of the human condition, and he attributed to the viewer the power to interpret his work. As he put it: “A painting lives in company, expanding and coming to life before the eyes of the sensitive viewer”.

From his early days to his most recognisable colour fields, this volume explores the intelligence and influence of a dramatic, intimate and revolutionary body of work, inviting us to view Rothko as an artist who sought emotion and presence rather than explanation.

Key features:

• Cover: Hardback.
• Pages: 96.
• Language: Spanish.