How Does Mark Rothko Use Organic Forms?

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In contrast to Stella’s work, Mark Rothko uses organic and naturalistic forms in his composition Untitled, placing emphasis on the edges of the figures. Instead of focusing on architectural forms, Rothko’s work is composed of wispy washes of color causing the viewer to focus on color and space relations. White is a very prevalent color in the work, perhaps calling up images of smoke or fog. The white paint works in the same way as these natural phenomena, covering up the other colors. The splotches of white that cover a majority of the canvas and rest in the foreground, leading the viewer to question whether they are seeing the whole composition and if recognizable forms could exist underneath. In this way, Rothko strives to obscure forms from the viewer instilling a …show more content…

The contrasting relationship of white and black, as well as cool and warmer colors pushes the organic shapes both forward and backward creating depth in the image. These color intervals work to create “swinging and pulsating form and its counterpart, resonating space,” so that even if there are not recognizable forms, the color planes that are produced still interact with each other and the viewer (Hofman, 543). The lack of distinctive lines also makes Rothko’s painting different than Stella’s and Pollock’s, with his color forms being outlined organically with overlapping undefined edges. This contributes to the feeling of an all over painting, the viewer’s eye wandering naturally from one overlapping form to the next with no strict beginning or ending point. The smooth application of paint also contributes to this phenomenon, the paint and color seamlessly merging into the canvas and his feathery brushstrokes allowing the colors to merge and blend together. Yet, there is one contrast in the painting. The oval in the upper center of the composition is composed circular brushstrokes and has a recognizable geometric

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