There is a fascinating exhibit of Mark Rothko’s work at the National Gallery which spotlights how he created over 1,000 paintings on paper instead of canvas. It also depicts Rothko’s artistic transformation from reinterpreting Picasso and Miro to discovering his own signature approach to geometric shapes.
The exhibit also offers this Rothko quote, “a painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience;” which made me reflect on how an inspired painting can inspire an emotion and that is the hope of artists such as Rothko – that we don’t admire their technical ability, but we have our own creative experience as a painting transports and transforms us.
Then I realized Rothko’s artistic ambition applies not only to paintings, but to many aspects of life. That when it works, a symphony is more than a score, a meal is more than a recipe.
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