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Mark Rothko Essay

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“Art is an adventure into the unknown”. This is a quote from a manifesto that Mark Rothko wrote with Adolph Gottlieb in 1943 (Bio.com). It is one that resonates with me due to a struggle with depression that I have had for years. This semester, I decided to confront it, and in theory, conquer it. In light of making that decision, I decided to take an art class, an adventure into the very unknown world for me, not only because art was something that I hadn’t really dabbled in, but also because I was willing to face my depression. It was an uncomfortable path. With doing so, my professor introduced me to the works of Mark Rothko. Mark Rothko was born September 25, 1903, in Dvinsk, Russia, now known as Daugavpils, Latvia, as Marcus Rothkowitz. He was the youngest child of four. Rothko’s father, Jacob Rothkowitz, a pharmacist, emigrated in 1910 to Portland, Oregon, in order to work with his brother in the clothing industry, and get away from …show more content…

He had committed suicide, due to what is believed to be a mix of physical illness and depression (bio.com). Though he was gone, he was definitely not forgotten. The chapel he had been commissioned to make murals for was dedicated to him nearly one year after his death, becoming known as Rothko Chapel. What had started out as just a commission for a great painter, became a monument of remembrance for the same great painter. The Chapel is located near the Menil Collection and The University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. “A tranquil meditative environment inspired by the mural canvases of Russian born American painter Mark Rothko, the Chapel welcome over 80,000 visitors each year, people of every faith and from all parts of the world” (about). The mission statement of the Chapel is “to inspire people to action through art and contemplation, to nurture reverence for the highest aspirations of humanity, and to provide a forum for global concerns”

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