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The 20th century saw the emergence of Mark Rothko as one of the most unexpectedly consoling and uplifting abstract painters. Born in Russia, Rothko emigrated to the United States at the age of 10 and was appalled by the sentimentality and optimistic attitude of his adopted land. He created art that was insular, somber and oriented towards pain, using colors such as burnt burgundy, dark gray, pitch black and blood red.
In 1958, Rothko was offered a large sum to paint murals for a soon-to-be-opened opulent New York restaurant, The Four Seasons on Park Avenue. His intention was to “ruin the appetite of every son of a bitch who ever eats in that room”. However, shortly before the paintings were due to go on display, Rothko had a change of heart and returned the money. He then gave his paintings to London’s Tate Gallery, where they were hung in an airy, contemplative space that enclosed the viewer in an atmosphere of meditative mortification.
Rothko’s canvases, though focused on the darkness, are never depressing to look at because they lend our difficulties dignity and legitimacy. To bathe in their atmosphere is to gain a distinct sense of comfort, to know that we are not alone in finding it all very hard. His work reminds us that it is acceptable, even necessary, sometimes to hate the smiling bastards who so annoyed Rothko, and that unhappiness is just as wise.