Mark Rothko (painter)
American, born Russia, 1903 - 1970
No. 7, 1964

From the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C

Not Currently On Display

“The prospect of death - the tragedy at the heart of his art - moved closer. He was advised that his condition was not necessarily life-threatening, but that he must give up drinking and smoking and produce only small works.

But, Sandler recalled, “Mark did just the opposite. He seemed to fall apart as a person, at least when he was drunk, which he often was. But still, he continued to paint.” Rothko left his wife Mell and family, and seemed terribly isolated and lonely.

He continued to paint, his palette often reduced to a bleak black and grey. On February 25, 1970, he killed himself, cutting his wrists and taking an overdose of anti-depressants. Kuh wondered whether it was success that destroyed Rothko. Another possibility is that he died of doubt that his art could sustain the weight of significance he placed on it.”

From “The Mysterious Tragedy at the Heart of Rothko’s Tranquil Masterpiece” by Martin Gayford.  Published by the Telegraph in 2008