Mark Rothko And Agnes Martin

2668 Words11 Pages
During the late 1950s to 1960s, the paintings of Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin reflected a relationship of inspiration and generation-descending artistic dialogue. Where Martin’s career was just beginning to flourish, Rothko’s late period was already well established by 1960, with his Seagram murals commissioned and in progress. Both artists are of special interest when looking at abstract expressionism’s engagement with spiritual and material concerns. The following essay will compare and contrast each artist’s engagement with spirituality and materiality in two works: Rothko’s Red on Maroon Mural Section 4 of 1959 (Illustration I) and Martin’s Night Sea of 1963 (Illustration II). I will argue that although the personal lives and backgrounds of Rothko and Martin were quite different, both artists sought out ways to depict similar spiritual concepts through similar manipulation of materiality. I will begin with a description and formal analysis of each painting, followed by a discussion of these two works in the context of abstract expressionism’s quest for the sublime. I will also discuss the important influence of eastern philosophy and religion on each artist, and how their works show parallels to eastern ideas on spirituality. Finally I will discuss the material concerns regarding the paintings of Rothko and Martin, and how materiality ties in with the spiritual concepts they are aiming to explore. Red on Maroon is considered to be the most significant of the murals that Rothko intended for the Seagram Building on New York’s Park Avenue. When the project was in progress, Rothko withdrew from the commission and ended up displaying the Seagram murals on his own. Red on Maroon is a large, 8 by 8 ¾ oil painting on canvas, that follows the earth-toned palette of the Seagram project (Breslin, 1993, p. 401). At its centre is a large, hazy rectangular form, echoed by
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