Mark Rothko [Hardcover]

Mr. Jeffrey Weiss (Author), John Gage (Contributor), Carol Mancusi-Ungaro (Contributor), Barbara Novak (Contributor), Brian O`Doherty (Contributor), Mark Rosenthal (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 1998

In their stunning simplicity, the famous colored rectangle paintings by Mark Rothko suggest, evoke, and endlessly enthrall. This richly illustrated book reproduces in full color one hundred of Rothko's paintings, prints, and drawings. The volume features four commentaries by art experts who explore various formal aspects of Rothko's work, interviews with contemporary artists who reflect on Rothko's legacy to post-New York School abstraction, and a chronology of the Russian-born artist's life from 1903 to 1970.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rothko's most famous paintings are profoundly contemplative works, rectangles of vibrant color that seem lit from within and that are full of subtle energy and life, like the sky or the surface of a lake. This handsome retrospective catalog of his work, which includes his early representational paintings as well as his harmonic abstractions, has been published in conjunction with a major traveling exhibition of his work and contains more than 100 colorplates. Weiss has wisely placed the art before the commentary, allowing readers to absorb the quiet impact of Rothko's work before seeking explanations of the man and his still controversial creations in essays by Weiss, John Cage, Barbara Novak and Brian O'Doherty, and Carol Mancusi-Ungaro. Interviews with painters Ellsworth Kelly, Gerhard Richter, and Robert Ryman attest to Rothko's tremendous influence, and a detailed chronology tracks his rise to prominence, his steadily deteriorating health, and his suicide in 1970. Weiss' book succeeds in embracing the beauty, mystery, and sorrow of Rothko's vision. Donna Seaman

About the Author

Jeffrey Weiss is associate curator of twentieth-century art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. He is the author of The Popular Culture of Modern Art: Picasso, Duchamp, and Avant-Gardism, 1909-1917, published by Yale University Press. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300075057
• ISBN-13: 978-0300075052
• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 9.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #803,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful, February 13, 2000

By 

Rebecca J. Siwicki "Cookin', cleaning, readin... (Shelby Township, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mark Rothko (Hardcover)

I completely disagree with the earlier review about the quality of reproductions in this work. The colors are stunning, and this book is so well organized and detailed that it makes it a real pleasure to dive into. Nothing can compare to seeing these inspirational works in person, but if you saw the show, you have to have this book. If you missed the show, you have to have this book. Lose yourself in these paintings and you will find so much...personal revelation, power and resolve. Its a must-own for the true Rothko fan.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utter Beauty, May 10, 2000

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"saitchy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mark Rothko (Hardcover)

Yes, the reviewer who commented on the quality of the prints needs to get their specs looked at. This book is wonderfully produced, from the quality of the printing to the quality of the paper. It will sit alongside Anfan's wonderful catalogue raisonee on my shelves. I only wish I had followed my urge to hop on the Eurostar train from London to Paris on a day trip to see the exhibition. The last full Rothko exhibition I saw was in London in 1987, a mind expanding experience. This book is a world better than the catalogue of that exhibition and is definitely a must for any Rothko admirer. I will be in the Rothko room of the new Tate Modern gallery almost every day.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful book of color reproductions, September 22, 2004

By 

Lameass Lass (Savage, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mark Rothko (Hardcover)

rothko was prolific, and it would be hard to get everything in one book, but here you will certainly find pieces from beginning to end. i personally appreciate seeing the progression of an artist's work; it's so much more informative than a random assemblage of pieces that "look pretty," although this book is that too. my copy appears quite true in its reproduction of the paintings, and i highly recommend it for the range and quality of the work.