Page 312 - Uros Todorovic Byzantine Painting Contemporary Eyes

Byzantine Painting through Contemporary Eyes
Rothko the Mystic
Given that Rothko himself rejected the label of an “abstract expressionist” as well as that of an “abstract painter,” there is sound basis to assess certain phenomena of his clas- sic works independently from the broader context of Abstract Expressionism. Accord- ingly, we note that our present enquiry was initially inspired by a perception that through the works of his classic period, Rothko exalted his painting practice to a level of philos- ophy, one which is paired with a particularly theological experience.
As we shall see, the seeming simplicity of his canvases is but a transparent veil cover- ing the tragic infinity of the dark universe, in which, on the other hand, light is never totally lost. Of course, we are referring here to Rothko’s seemingly somber works, such as the one shown in image 36. To an extent, this “veil effect” of Rothko’s work is indirect- ly comparable to Malevich’s Black Square (image 37). In our view, among the Abstract Expressionists, Rothko’s work, in particular that of his classic period, is the most relata- ble to Malevich’s abstraction, not least by virtue of a distinct Byzantine connection.
A point could also be made that, if based on the achievements of Malevich and Kan- dinsky we had to formulate in one sentence an understanding of the 20th century ab- stract painting, it would be that in spite of its visuality, this painting has little to do with what we see in nature or imagine outside of it, but has more to do with how we under- stand that which we do not see, and how we reconcile with that which we are not able to fully imagine. As we shall later demonstrate, it cannot be doubted that these are also the critical parameters for understanding Rothko’s classic works.
In view of Rothko’s intellectual inclinations, his interest in psychology and philoso- phy,12 and his gradual and profound dissatisfaction with earthly life, we can broadly brand his overall way of life and his alchemist personality, with modern asceticism – in as much by asceticism we refer to a systematic enquiry into the higher levels of truth regarding human existence. Accordingly, we should not feel that Rothko’s drinking and smoking habits, which increased towards the end of his life, cast a picture entirely dis- similar to asceticism. In fact, we dare say that in Rothko’s particular case, drinking, as
12 Rothko was inclined towards philosophical thinking from his early youth, possibly due to the influence of his father, a highly spiritual man, who is recalled to have read Dostoyevsky to his children. Further, Rothko’s subjects at the Yale University include: French language, European history, elementary mathematics, physics, biology, economics, history of philosophy and general psychology. The fact that he read Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche is widely known. For example Barbara Novak and Brian O’ Doherty make mention of these facts in their essay entitled Rothko’s Dark Paintings: Tragedy and Void, which is included in: Jeffrey Weiss, et al. Mark Rothko (Washington: National Gallery of Art, in association with New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998), 265.
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