Elena Rossi
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was an American abstract painter, best known for his colour field paintings. His stylistic evolution from figurative to abstract art revolutionised the design of abstract painting. Rothko's work was influenced by his interest in music, particularly the Classical period composers Mozart, Beethoven, and the early Schubert. He was drawn to the transparency of Mozart's textures, which gave way to greater expressivity, with themes and musical phrases singing in a natural way. Rothko's paintings, with their layered colours and shapes, have been likened to musical chords, with each element interacting with one another to create a harmonious whole.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composers | Mozart |
| Beethoven | |
| Schubert | |
| Musical qualities | Transparency of texture |
| Simplicity of ingredients | |
| Naturalness | |
| Expressivity |
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What You'll Learn
Mozart's influence on Rothko's paintings
Mark Rothko was an American abstract painter, best known for his colour-field paintings. He was inspired by classical music and opera, and particularly by the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Rothko's son, Christopher Rothko, wrote a book about his father's inspiration and process, titled 'Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out'. In it, he describes his father's love of Mozart and how the composer influenced his paintings. Christopher Rothko writes that Mozart was the "alpha and omega" for his father, and that he found in Mozart's music the "stylistic and formal principles, and more especially the means of articulating ideas, that would influence the development of his own artistic language".
Rothko was drawn to the music of the Classical period, including Mozart, Beethoven, and early Schubert. He was also influenced by classical architecture, particularly Greek and Roman temples, which he quipped he had been painting all his life. This is reflected in the classical, simple, and elemental form of his paintings, which express a harmony and balance – a visual chord where all of the elements work together.
Rothko's colour-field paintings have been compared to Mozart arias, with their purity of form and harmonic landscapes that frame a vocal line while also liberating it, making possible the most passionate communication. The transparency that is the hallmark of Mozart’s compositional language is also seen in Rothko’s work, with the artist thinning his oils and temperas to allow the “inner voices” of his paintings to radiate through.
Ironically, Rothko's adherence to the maxim "The simple expression of the complex thought", attributed to him and Adolph Gottlieb, is seen more clearly in the works they produced during their Neo-Surrealist periods, which were of great complexity.
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The role of music in Rothko's art
Mark Rothko was an American abstract painter, widely recognised for his large, colour field paintings. His work is often associated with the American abstract expressionist movement of modern art.
Music played an important role in Rothko's art. He was drawn to the music of the Classical period, particularly Mozart, Beethoven, and early Schubert. He also had a love of Mozart's compositions, finding in them a means of articulating ideas and influencing the development of his artistic language.
Rothko's paintings are said to reflect the harmony and balance of musical compositions. The colours and shapes in his paintings are layered and arranged like the notes in a musical chord, creating a visual chord where all the elements work together. This idea of a visual chord is further emphasised by the absence of figurative representation in Rothko's later works, where the drama is found in the contrast of colours radiating against one another.
The transparency of texture in Mozart's compositions is also reflected in Rothko's paintings. By thinning his oils and temperas, Rothko allowed the "inner voices" of his paintings to radiate through, creating a sense of greater expressivity. This simplicity in both Mozart's music and Rothko's paintings reveals a deeper complexity and depth when considered in detail.
In addition to his love of Classical music, Rothko was also influenced by the music of his contemporaries. Jazz, for example, may have influenced the rhythmic improvisation of his drip paintings, with different colours coming in as solos at different times.
Overall, music played a significant role in shaping Rothko's artistic language and the emotional impact of his paintings. His works invite a direct, uninterrupted experience, emphasising the relationship between the artwork and the viewer, much like how music can be enjoyed and interpreted openly.
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Classical period music and Rothko's work
Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was an American abstract painter who revolutionized the essence and design of abstract painting. His work focused on expressing basic human emotions and experiences, such as tragedy, ecstasy, and doom, rather than simply representing reality. Rothko's paintings often referenced classical subjects and ancient art, reflecting his interest in classical architecture and music of the Classical period.
Rothko was drawn to the music of composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and early Schubert, which he listened to while painting. He found inspiration in the Classical period's focus on harmony and balance, simple expression of complex thoughts, and transparency of textures. The vertical arrangement of colours and shapes in his paintings has been compared to the layering of notes in a musical chord, creating a gestalt that cannot be meaningfully broken down into different figures or scenes.
One of Rothko's most famous works, the Harvard Mural series, was created for a dining room in Harvard's Holyoke Center (now the Smith Campus Center). The murals feature dark blues and greens, which critics interpreted as representative of growing darkness within Rothko's personal life. Unfortunately, the original colours faded badly over time due to exposure to regular sunlight.
In addition to his murals, Rothko also painted large, abstract canvases with soft-edged rectangles of colour arranged vertically against a monochrome background. These colour-field paintings were created without frames, using simple pigments on canvas or paper, with no varnish or linear perspective. The colours in these paintings have been compared to Mozart's melodies, put forth without decoration and allowed to resonate within the rectangular forms.
Rothko's work continues to inspire musical compositions, including Adam Schoenberg's "Finding Rothko" (2006) and Anna Clyne's "Color Field" (2020). His paintings, like Mozart's compositions, employ similar communicative means and expressive power, revealing a clear correspondence between the two art forms.
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Jazz influences on Rothko and his contemporary, Jackson Pollock
Mark Rothko was an American abstract painter, best known for his colour field paintings. Rothko's work is often associated with the American abstract expressionist movement of modern art. He is quoted as saying, "a consummated experience between picture and onlooker. Nothing should stand between my painting and the viewer."
Rothko's work was influenced by composers such as Mozart, whose compositions he found to be a source of stylistic and formal principles. Rothko's paintings, like Mozart's compositions, are built on a foundation of simplicity, with individual elements coming together to create a harmonious whole.
Jackson Pollock, a contemporary of Rothko and a fellow abstract expressionist, was also influenced by jazz music. Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, spoke of his obsession with jazz, playing his records for days on end. Pollock's extensive record collection included jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington.
Pollock's creative process involved dripping, pouring, and throwing paint onto a canvas on the floor, his movements resembling those of a dancer. This style of "action painting" is reminiscent of the rhythmic improvisation found in jazz, with different colours coming in like solos at different times. Pollock himself believed that his paintings should be enjoyed like music, open to interpretation, and allowing the artwork to speak for itself.
Both Rothko and Pollock found inspiration in music, whether it was the structured simplicity of Mozart or the rhythmic freedom of jazz. Their abstract expressionist works invited viewers to immerse themselves in the art, experiencing the interplay of colours and shapes, much like the interplay of instruments and melodies in music.
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How music and art intersect
Mark Rothko was an abstract painter, born in 1903 in what is now Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1913, settling in Portland, Oregon. In 1923, he moved to New York City, where he studied at the Art Students League under American Cubist Max Weber. Rothko's early works reflected Weber's influence, as well as that of artists such as Marc Chagall and Rembrandt. By the 1930s, Rothko had gained recognition for his original and intense artworks, which featured scenes of urban life and expressed intense emotions and isolation.
In the 1940s, Rothko joined a group of artists who considered themselves Abstract Expressionists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Barnett Newman. During this time, he experimented with mythological themes and Surrealism to express the tragedy of World War II. By 1949, he had settled on the format for which he is best known today: soft-edged rectangles arranged vertically against a monochrome background.
While Rothko did not subscribe to any particular school of art, his work is often associated with the American abstract expressionism movement. He resisted attempts to interpret his paintings, focusing instead on the viewer's experience and the relationship between the artwork and the observer.
Music played an important role in Rothko's creative process and worldview. He was drawn to the music of the Classical period, particularly Mozart, whose compositions he found stylistically and formally influential. The transparency of textures and natural development of themes in Mozart's music resonated with Rothko's artistic language, characterized by its simplicity and direct expression of intricate thoughts.
In addition to Mozart, Rothko appreciated Beethoven and early Schubert. He also found inspiration in classical architecture, such as Greek and Roman temples, reflecting the classical, simple, and elemental form of his paintings.
The intersection of music and art in Rothko's work can be seen in the rhythmic improvisation and use of different "instruments" (colors) in his drip paintings, which some compare to the freedom and dynamism of jazz. Similarly, the vertical arrangement of colors and shapes in his paintings has been likened to the layering of notes in a musical chord, creating a harmonious whole that cannot be meaningfully broken down into individual figures or scenes.
In conclusion, Mark Rothko's art and musical interests intersected in meaningful ways. His love of Mozart and Classical-era composers influenced his artistic language and style, while the principles of harmony and balance in music found visual expression in the composition of his paintings. The interplay between music and art in Rothko's work invites a deeper understanding of the communicative means employed by both art forms.
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Frequently asked questions
It is believed that Rothko was drawn to the music of the Classical period, including Mozart, Beethoven, and early Schubert.
Rothko's paintings are thought to reflect the harmony and balance found in musical compositions. The colours and shapes in his paintings are layered and arranged like the notes in a musical chord.
Rothko was drawn to Mozart's transparency of textures, which gives way to greater expressivity, with themes and musical phrases singing in a very natural way.
It is not known if Rothko listened to other genres of music, but his paintings are often compared to jazz due to their rhythmic improvisation and structured yet solo use of colours.
Rothko resisted attempts to interpret his paintings in relation to music or any other external influence. He was mainly concerned with the viewer's experience and the merging of work and recipient beyond verbal comprehension.
