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.
Mark RothkoRead
We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Rothko advocates for simplicity in artistic expression to convey deeper truths.
In this quote, Mark Rothko emphasizes the importance of simplicity in art as a means to communicate complex ideas effectively. He believes that flat forms and simple expressions eliminate illusion, allowing viewers to connect with the raw truth of the artwork, thereby challenging traditional perceptions of depth and complexity in visual representation.
Themes
ArtSimplicityTruthExpressionFlat Forms
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on modern art, you might say, 'As Rothko states, we favor the simple expression of complex thoughts.'
More from Mark Rothko
All quotes →Look, it's my misery that I have to paint this kind of painting, it's your misery that you have to love it, and the price of the misery is thirteen hundred and fifty dollars.
Mark RothkoRead
The artist invites the spectator to take a journey within the realm of the canvas... Without taking the journey, the spectator has really missed the essential experience of the picture.
Mark RothkoRead
The fact that people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions.. the people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when painting them. And if you say you are moved only by their color relationships then you miss the point.
Mark RothkoRead
If our titles recall the known myths of antiquity, we have used them again because they are the eternal symbols upon which we must fall back to express basic psychological ideas.
Mark RothkoRead
Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit, and the only means of making concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness.
Mark RothkoRead
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