Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous

Oct 25, 2019 on PBS at 9:00 PM

Summary

One of the most influential artists of the 20thcentury, Mark Rothko’s signature style helped define Abstract Expressionism, the movement that shifted the center of the art world from Paris to New York. Interviews with Rothko’s children, Kate and Chri... (more)stopher, as well as leading curators, art historians and conservators present a comprehensive look at the artist’s life and career, complemented by original scenes with Alfred Molina in the role of Rothko. Over a career spanning five decades, Rothko developed his signature style: large, abstract color fields with luminous rectangular forms that balance depth, shape and hue through the delicate layering of many thin washes of paint. While Rothko’s paintings show close attention to formal elements, he was concerned with the way the paintings could represent philosophical questions. In his words, he was “interested only in expressing basic human emotions — tragedy, ecstasy, doom.”

Previous episode

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Season 33 Episode 10

Sep 13, 2019

Next episode

N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear
Season 33 Episode 12

Nov 18, 2019