I’ve been pondering whether or not to go see the Rothko exhibit at the Tate Modern, and a good recommendation led me to this excellent BBC doc on the artist:
Previously ambivalent about the artist and his work, I now can’t get to the exhibit fast enough. I will definitely be going this weekend. I feel very lucky that it’s within walking distance.
A little about Rothko from the BBC:
Born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia) Rothko moved with his family to Portland, Oregon in 1913. His painting education was brief – he moved to New York to study under the artist Max Weber and then struck out on his own.
Rothko is known for his abstract expressionism paintings, but he moved through more traditional styles in his early career, including Surrealist paintings in the 1940s. In 1947 he embarked on the first of his large abstract ‘colour-field’ paintings, formalising their structure further in the 1950s.
Rothko had huge success with largescale solo shows, but committed suicide in 1970.
Blendor 
neato! i rather like his black and maroon paintings at the tate, the ones he did for that building in new york. those paintings were my introduction to him, actually, and all that i really know about him but they’ve stuck with me. say hi to the tate for me!
p.s. that video looks sweet but i have no audio on my computer right now so i’m hoping i’ll remember to watch it when i can also hear it. : )
the video kinda centers around those paintings and their story, actually. you must remember to watch!
Let me know how it is! I wish I could see his stuff again.
Damn you….I would love to go to this. Not a big Rothko fan but any chance I get to spend in a creative environment like an art museum is normally time well spent.