Mark Rothko, born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, has always been considered the undisputed father of color field paintings: the imposing non-figurative works that made him famous, often included in the production of Abstract Expressionism, are, in reality, the result of several years of artistic work that tends to be figurative. His artistic production includes two thousand six hundred works on paper, with techniques ranging from the use of graphite, ink, oil colors and watercolors: this immense quantity of "works on paper" is, however, often underestimated in the academic field, in favor of the analysis of larger paintings, such as the famous monochromatic paintings of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. In fact, scholars such as Ruth Fine and Jacob Baal-Teshuva, as well as art critics such as Adam Greenhall, Bonnie Clearwater and Michelle Facini, have extensively devoted themselves to the topic, also hypothesizing the existence of a close relationship between the works on paper and the imposing non-figurative canvases. The investigation of Rothko's works on paper, in particular the non-figurative oils and watercolors of the 1950s and 1960s, remains, however, highly unexplored: ignoring such a significant portion of his production causes a heavy distortion effect, as well as a deleterious "gap" at an academic and informational level. In this thesis, I will delve into the theme of Rothko's non-figurative graphic works, in particular those of the last two decades of his life, and their role within the artist's broader production: first of all, I will analyze his biography, to better understand the historical and artistic context in which he operated; subsequently, I will delve into the technical characteristics and stylistic evolution of these works. I believe that this largely unexplored area of research is an ideal opportunity to delve not only into the specific themes of Rothko's production, but also into the critical reception of his artistic work in general.
Mark Rothko, al secolo Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, viene da sempre considerato il padre indiscusso dei color field paintings: le imponenti opere non figurative che lo hanno reso famoso, spesso annoverate nella produzione dell’Espressionismo Astratto, sono, in realtà, il risultato di diversi anni di lavorio artistico tendenzialmente figurativo. La sua produzione artistica conta ben duemila e seicento opere su supporto cartaceo, con tecniche che spaziano dall’uso della grafite, all’inchiostro, ai colori ad olio ed acquarelli : questa immensa quantità di “works on paper” viene, tuttavia, spesso sottovalutata in ambito accademico, in favore dell’analisi di quadri di maggiori dimensioni, come i celebri monocromatici della Rothko Chapel a Houston. Per la verità, studiosi come Ruth Fine e Jacob Baal-Teshuva, oltre a critici dell’arte come Adam Greenhall, Bonnie Clearwater e Michelle Facini, si sono ampiamente dedicati al tema, ipotizzando anche l’esistenza di una stretta relazione tra le opere su carta e le imponenti tele non figurative . L’indagine delle opere su carta di Rothko, in particolare gli oli ed acquarelli non figurativi degli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta, rimane, tuttavia, altamente inesplorato: ignorare una porzione così significativa della sua produzione causa un pesante effetto di distorsione, oltre che un “gap” deleterio a livello accademico ed informativo. In questa tesi, approfondirò il tema delle opere grafiche non figurative di Rothko, in particolare quelle degli ultimi due decenni della sua vita, e il loro ruolo all’interno della produzione più ampia dell’artista: innanzitutto prenderò in analisi la sua biografia, per comprendere meglio il contesto storico ed artistico in cui ha operato; successivamente approfondirò le caratteristiche tecniche e l’evoluzione stilistica di queste opere. Ritengo che questo ambito di ricerca in gran parte inesplorato sia un’occasione ideale per approfondire non soltanto le tematiche specifiche della produzione di Rothko, ma anche la ricezione critica del suo operato artistico generale.
Mark Rothko su carta: le opere grafiche, 1959 – 1970
LIBERO, GIADA
2023/2024
Abstract
Mark Rothko, born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, has always been considered the undisputed father of color field paintings: the imposing non-figurative works that made him famous, often included in the production of Abstract Expressionism, are, in reality, the result of several years of artistic work that tends to be figurative. His artistic production includes two thousand six hundred works on paper, with techniques ranging from the use of graphite, ink, oil colors and watercolors: this immense quantity of "works on paper" is, however, often underestimated in the academic field, in favor of the analysis of larger paintings, such as the famous monochromatic paintings of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. In fact, scholars such as Ruth Fine and Jacob Baal-Teshuva, as well as art critics such as Adam Greenhall, Bonnie Clearwater and Michelle Facini, have extensively devoted themselves to the topic, also hypothesizing the existence of a close relationship between the works on paper and the imposing non-figurative canvases. The investigation of Rothko's works on paper, in particular the non-figurative oils and watercolors of the 1950s and 1960s, remains, however, highly unexplored: ignoring such a significant portion of his production causes a heavy distortion effect, as well as a deleterious "gap" at an academic and informational level. In this thesis, I will delve into the theme of Rothko's non-figurative graphic works, in particular those of the last two decades of his life, and their role within the artist's broader production: first of all, I will analyze his biography, to better understand the historical and artistic context in which he operated; subsequently, I will delve into the technical characteristics and stylistic evolution of these works. I believe that this largely unexplored area of research is an ideal opportunity to delve not only into the specific themes of Rothko's production, but also into the critical reception of his artistic work in general.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Mark Rothko su carta. Le opere grafiche, 1959 - 1970. Libero Giada.pdf
accesso riservato
Dimensione
2.07 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
2.07 MB | Adobe PDF |
The text of this website © Università degli studi di Padova. Full Text are published under a non-exclusive license. Metadata are under a CC0 License
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/78990