Mark Rothko: toward the light in the chapel

304 Pages·2016·3.357 MB·English

by  Cohen-Solal, Annie;Rothko, Mark

mark rothko

Mark Rothko
Toward the Light in the Chapel
annie cohen-solal
new haven and london
english translation copyright © 2015 by annie cohen-solal.
First published in French as Mark Rothko by actes sud (arles, France, 2013). copyright
© 2013 by annie cohen-solal.
all rights reserved.
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set in Janson oldstyle type by integrated Publishing solutions.
Printed in the United states of america.
Paintings on canvas by Mark Rothko
copyright ©1998 by Kate Rothko Prizel and christopher Rothko
Paintings on paper by Mark Rothko
copyright ©2014 by Kate Rothko Prizel and christopher Rothko
Writings by Mark Rothko
copyright ©2004 by Kate Rothko Prizel and christopher Rothko
Photographs of Mark Rothko
copyright ©2014 by Kate Rothko Prizel and christopher Rothko
Maps originally drawn by Jean-Pierre Magnier and adapted for the english edition by
adrienne ottenberg.
Frontispiece: Photographer, henry elkan c. 1953. copyright © 2005 Kate Rothko Prizel and
christopher Rothko
library of congress cataloging-in-Publication Data
cohen-solal, annie, 1948–
[Mark Rothko. english]
Mark Rothko : toward the light in the chapel / annie cohen-solal.
pages cm. — (Jewish lives)
First published in French as Mark Rothko by actes sud (arles, France, 2013).
includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-300-18204-0 (hardback)
1. Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970. 2. Painters—United states—Biography. i. Title.
nD237.R725c6413 2015
759.13—dc23
2014037767
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British library.
This paper meets the requirements of ansi/niso Z39.48-1992
(Permanence of Paper).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
for archie
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contents
author’s note, ix
1. The charismatic Yacov Rotkovitch
—a Jew of the empire: 1903–1913, 1
2. a Diligent student in Portland, oregon: 1913–1921, 21
3. The Years of chaos: 1921–1928, 39
4. The Metamorphosis of Marcus
Rothkowitz: 1928–1940, 52
5. in search of a new Golden age: 1940–1944, 69
6. Between surrealism and abstraction: 1944–1947, 87
7. Toward absolute abstraction: 1947–1949, 99
8. With the Rebel Painters, a Pioneer: 1949–1953, 116
contents
9. The avant-Garde Jewish Painter and his Journey
of Dispersion: 1954–1958, 137
10. From a luxury skyscraper to a Medieval chapel—
The First anchoring in Britain: 1958–1960, 154
11. Years of experimentation, Recognition, and Torment—
The second anchoring in Britain: 1960–1964, 171
12. The long-awaited chapel—The expiatory sacrifice:
1964–1970, 185
epilogue, 201
notes, 209
Bibliography, 243
acknowledgments, 261
index, 265
about the author, 281
Color illustrations follow page 86
viii
author’s note
When I began my research, the existing bibliography
on Mark Rothko was sparse, consisting mostly of James e. B.
Bres lin’s biography dating from 1993—an undeniable starting
point—and many interesting exhibition catalogues. i was par-
ticularly lucky, though, to benefit from the voice of Rothko
himself thanks to the recent publication of two major books:
The Artist’s Reality—the manuscript he wrote in 1940, which was
transcribed and introduced by the artist’s son, christopher—and
Writings on Art—the artist’s correspondence and notes from the
years 1934 to 1969. as for Rothko’s paintings, David anfam’s
catalogue raisonné, Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas, which
wasn’t published until 1998, became an essential document.
in navigating through these and many other diverse sources,
my personal perspective on Rothko evolved as i investigated
how young Marcus Rotkovitch, as a cultural agent crossing
geographic boundaries, managed to shape the intellectual and
ix