Rothko: The Color Field Paintings

By Janet Bishop and Christopher Rothko

“Sumptuously illustrated with reproductions of 50 paintings, this book celebrates the rich artistic legacy of American artist Mark Rothko” (Publishers Weekly).

Mark Rothko’s iconic paintings are some of the most profound works of twentieth-century Abstract Expressionism. This collection presents fifty large-scale artworks from the American master’s color field period (1949–1970) alongside essays by Rothko’s son, Christopher Rothko, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curator of painting and sculpture, Janet Bishop.

Featuring illuminating details about Rothko’s life, influences, and legacy, and brimming with the emotional power and expressive color of his groundbreaking canvases, this essential volume brings the renowned artist’s luminous work to light for both longtime Rothko fans and those discovering his work for the first time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781452156606

Book preview

Text copyright © 2017 by Chronicle Books LLC.

Foreword text copyright © 2015 by Christopher Rothko. Adapted from essays published in Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015).

Paintings copyright © 1998 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pages 118–119 constitute a continuation of the copyright page.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452156606 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970, artist. | Rothko, Christopher, writer of foreword. | Spring, Jenny Moussa, editor. | Bishop, Janet C. Slow looking.

Title: Rothko : the color field paintings / foreword by Christopher Rothko ; essay by Janet Bishop ; picture editor, Jenny Moussa Spring.

Description: San Francisco, CA : Chronicle Books LLC, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016052971 | ISBN 9781452156590 (hc)

Subjects: LCSH: Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970—Themes, motives. | Color-field painting—United States—Themes, motives.

Classification: LCC ND237.R725 A4 2017 | DDC 759.13—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052971

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CONTENTS

Foreword:

COLOR, FORM, AND DRAMA

by Christopher Rothko

6