Thursday, June 12, 2014

Rothko Paintings And Basquiat Paintings

By Darren Hartley


Being abstract expressionist pieces, Rothko paintings are well known for their images featuring large and luminous color blocks. One of the best New York School of Abstract painters, Mark Rothko is most well known for delivering forms, figures and great color creation in the many paintings he created.

An orientation towards social themes with expressionist and surrealist undertones was characteristic of the first Rothko paintings. The influence of Max Weber was reflected in the subjects Mark chose for his paintings. Max provided Mark with first hand knowledge and enthusiasm for European modernism. Marc Chagall was another artist who had a great influence on Mark's art work.

The urban scenes and landscapes were often focal points for Rothko paintings. Figurative works were also part and parcel of these creations. Showcasing an expressive side to the art of Mark was his rough application of paint, a technique would later be the distinctive style for which he would become most known for during the course of his artistic career.

It is an often intricate and complex journey through a maze of references that Basquiat paintings are known for. This journey often times made little rational sense, but nonetheless, fell appear to have a reason for existence. Basquiat paintings are mesmerizing, dense and full as their subjects range from the inner city kids' game called skellys to Sugar Ray Robinson, Miles Davis and Da Vinci.

Actual words, etched in scrawl, take primacy in Basquiat paintings. They are perfectly placed streams of consciousness colliding with iconic images of crowns and skulls. Honestly a bit less dark than some of Basquiat's later works, a patron can get lost in this collision for hours on end.

The mind of a prodigal genius with flashes of an early style is displayed in Basquiat paintings. There are standard art forms found in these works, including the ubiquitous trademark crown as well as the black background and mirrored images, boxers and skulls. The key to the complete output of Basquiat, numbering to more than 2,000 from the ages of 19 to 27, is held by the early Basquiat drawings.




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