Mark Rothko, Sacrifice of Iphigenia,1942, Collection of Christopher Rothko 

Taken from the National Gallery of Art Website.

It may be easy to assume that Rothko’s color fields and early abstract paintings would be easy to reproduce.  That may be true, however, Rothko clearly stated on more than one occasion that his paintings were not about technique but about emotion and were meant to convey a spiritual atmosphere.  I think thats the reason that Rothko’s paintings resonate with me so much.  There is more then techinque on the canvas.

“In a 1943 letter to the New York Times, written with Adolph Gottlieband Barnett Newman, Rothko said,’It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints, as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess a spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.’”

Taken from the National Gallery of Art website: http://www.nga.gov/feature/rothko/myths2.shtm