Mark Rothko

American, 1903–1970. One of the pioneers of Color Field Painting, Mark Rothko was celebrated for his signature abstract arrangement of richly colored squares filling massive canvases. His works were independent of line and figuration and focused more on simplified yet stylized compositions using colors. Rothko used his work as a medium to express the deeper meaning of profound human emotions like drama, tragedy, ecstasy, and so on. “Rothko Chapel Paintings”, a collection of 14 wall-sized monochromatic paintings in a church in Texas was a result of the artist’s desire to devise work for enclosed spaces. His technique and ideology completely revolutionized the essence of American abstract painting.