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, ____, ( 21/10/01 anada453 ,
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\ / "ART REVIEW - The Works of Mark Rofko" `. , \ \ / |
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/ by Funnigerl5 ( ; mEoW!@/| '
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|____________________ Anada is cat-friendly! __) |__\ `.___________|/
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In the paintings of Mark Rofko, color is but a shallow demeanor of
the darker emotional ambiguities of his inner turmoils. Rofko's lines are
parallel; his rectangles are complete in themselves, for they contain the
solidity of the most sublime of forms. His circles, oddly enough, are not
round, yet hint at the assurance of roundness to come. The effect is
masterful.
Rofko's work is slightly superior without seeming arrogant. During
his life, Rofko tried to bring to his art a pungency of flavor imbued with
obelisk overtones which was accentuated by his strong, vibrant brushwork.
His colors are usually light. Even Rofko's darkest works contain a
luminosity reminiscent of the surrealistic glow of Chernobyl's cows at
night. His murals further prove Rofko's illustrious manipulation of spatial
perception. Their intensity is surpassed only by the scathing clarity of
their raw dimensions. And Rofko's utilization of implied tension is at a
zenith. The interplay of divergent entities, as evidenced particularly in
his murals, create a life force unleased with a furor so great it could only
be quashed with a can of industrial-strength Raid.
Yet the delicacy of his expression, most evidenced in his later
works, leads one to believe that he attempts to relay a subtle message to
the viewer without appearing obvious or overly affected. This becomes more
apparent with each subsequent viewing of Rofko's work. He deftly employs a
rigid delineation of content while incorporating diaphanous textures in a
mired yet neatly relegated space. His larger canvasses depict an obsession
with the absolute, a sense of oneness with themselves that verifies their
own very existence. Largely gaseous, Rofko manages to bring to his art a
workable anti-flatulent. He emphasizes harmonious tones with conflicting
backgrounds by synthesizing different aspects of lines and angles. Dark
shades, writhing lines, distorted forms, twisted bodies and tormented
features characterize his happier works.
Rofko's perspective on life seemed to grow more optimistic as he grew
older, as evidenced by subtle changes in his art. The mood in his later
canvasses is light and genial despite implications of impending doom. In
any event, the worl was shocked when Rofko committed suicide in 1970. Why
would such a renowned genius, at the peak of his creativity, want to end his
life? His suicide note, found next to an unfinished canvas, indicated that
in addition to advancing age, mounting debts, a wacky misunderstanding with
his landlord causing him to lose his apartment, and other personal problems,
Rofko was most acutely fed up with his own gnawing inability to comprehend
art critic's reviews of his work.
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`-.^.-' (c) 2001 Anada e'zine by Funnigerl5 `-.^.-'
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