Customer Reviews

Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas

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Opening the package as it arrived from Amazon, easing this massive catalogue from its slipcase triggered a memory: walking to the edge of the Grand Canyon. With similar impact: awe. David Anfam brings the reader with him to encounter, view, & experience Rothko's work. His ten-year dedication paid off with the discovery of "lost" titles, setting the chronology of 836 works on canvas, (he couldn't have been afraid to get his hands dirty) & analyzing the slow struggle, sporadic leaps engendered by the painter in the evolution of the oeuvre. As scholar, teacher, critic, curator, & especially writer, Anfam proves the perfect choice to perform the daunting, almost impossible task of bringing Rothko into focus.

The author insightfully tracks the early representational beginnings, (his foray into narrative linked with crossing boundaries is totally appropriate for the artist from Dvinsk, Portland, New York) through the mythological (application of Kermode's distinction between "Chronos" & "Kairos" is utterly intriguing), & makes a case for Rembrandt as the source for Rothko's obsessions with tragedy & darkness, Vermeer his source for color's sensuality. Anfam traces in detail, using numerous examples of the brilliant reproductions, how the multiforms foreshadowed the work of the classic period. The architectural contexts for the Chapel are pure genius: Vincent Scully's, "The Earth, the Temple, & the Gods"; Joseph Rykwert's, "The Dancing Column"; & Leo Bersani's, Ulysse Dutoit's, "Arts of Impoverishment."

Anfam's breadth of vocabulary is English, yet he has benfitted from years in the States with a rapid, laconic language that impels the reader forward, informs succinctly. Purposely parrying time-worn quarrels, he unearths the more "thorny," "shady" aspects of dilemmas presented by such a complex art.

Two things happened as a result of reading MARK ROTHKO / THE WORKS on CANVAS / CATALOGUE RAISONNE. During a recent visit to C&M Gallery in NY for a show of eight Rothko's, alone in the second room, I heard them. A few nights ago I had a dream of a handwritten note on a table in the front room of an auction house that said, "The Last Painting." Rereading Helene Cixous's essay by that name (subtitled, "Or the Portrait of God"), she writes, "I think of the last Rembrandt. A man? Or a painting?" [in Cixous', "Coming to Writing and other Essays."] Anfam has presented us with the triumphant Rothko.

This is the first publication with his entire collection of works on canvas. Even lost paintings are represented by old black and white photographs. The images are not large, but the quality of this book is wonderful. By far the best buy for any Rothko fan (besides an original...)

Anfam's study is a great deal more than a much-needed reference book. Anyone interested in the history of modern art would find this study illuminating and exciting. Not only does it provide the first complete catalogue of Rothko's paintings on canvas (almost all in gorgeous color reproduction), it also includes numerous fresh and original insights concerning Rothko's intellectual and artistic sources. A monumental scholarly achievement, this volume will long remain a model for the field.

David Anfam has given students of twentieth-century art the much needed and previously missing in-depth study of Mark Rothko, a key figure in understanding the esoteric art of this century. Lesser studies by lesser minds have failed where Anfam has not -- scholarly attention to detail; carefully informed visual analysis of ALL the works on canvas; subtle conclusions; historical context. Anfam's rasionne is a must read!

A work of major importance in the history of modernism, David Anfam's catalogue raisonne is brilliant, lively, entertaining, and handsome. Combining vigorous scholarship with creative imagination, it offers the best ever understanding of Rothko and must be considered a prerequisite to any and all encounters with Rothko. Anfam's eloquent text takes the reader through the paintings in a most delightful way while the paintings themselves are a joy to see thanks to what surely were monumental efforts on the part of all those involved with design and production. This book is the best of its kind in every way and a bargain at the price!

This is a stunning book. In a single awesome volume it allows the reader to understand the progress of Mark Rothko's work in such a way that the effect is overwhelming. Over 800 of Rothko's paintings are reproduced in superb color and perhaps the biggest surprise is that so many of them are unknown, particularly the earlier figurative pictures--seeing these adds new dimensions to the famous but rather mysterious abstract images that Rothko finally created. In terms of design and format, the volume has been superbly produced and would be a bargain at the price for the countless reproductions alone. However, there is also a long essay by David Anfam that counts as one of the most brilliant studies of Rothko's art ever written and is full of fresh ideas and detailed analysis. Even the lovely catalogue to the recent big Rothko show seems lightweight by comparison. All in all, if you want a book on Rothko, this is THE one.

--Truman Gilbert

Within the world of American art, Mark Rothko increasingly looms as one of the foremost American painters of this century. All the more important, then that a definitive edition of his work be available to scholars, museums and the general public. And to put it quite simply, David Anfam has done exactly this, and to a superlative degree The illustrations are excellent,and no less important is the fine and insightful commentary and scholarly opinion offered by Anfam. Anfam's knowledge is most impressive, and his reader is fortunate, indeed, to be given the context of Rothko and his work, both in terms of art and the larger American culture. Any library or person interested in twentieth century American art must simply have this book.

It is difficult to sit down and look through this whole book at once; the beauty of the body of Rothko's work is overwhelming. At first I was disappointed that the reproductions did not fill up the whole page, but the smaller format permitted me to feel better the true sizes of the paintings in relation to one another, the largest of his works given a full page. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Rothko- keep in mind that works on paper are not included, so some favorites may not be in the book. It was worth the price, I am glad to share my apartment with this 14 pound tome.

This book is fantastic in everyway including great pictures and a text that's a goldmine of information, insights and new ideas. It is a must read for anyone interested in Rothko, or for that matter, 20th century American art.

For those who admire Rothko's paintings, this book is an absolute "must". This masterpiece got a special place in my living room. Of all the books I have about the abstract-expressionist Rothko, this is the most complete one. Once you start turning the pages, one soon understands that Rothko was a hard worker, and that it took him all the energy during his life to make this number of magnificent paintings.