Mark Rothko Chapel and Diego Rivera Paintings - Term Paper Example

Mark Rothko Chapel and Diego Rivera Paintings Rothko Chapel is one of the most astonishing post-modern buildings I have ever seen. I once took a journey to Texas to see for myself the building that reminds us of the work of Mark Rothko, the Great Russian painter. The Chapel is erected between the intersection of Yupon and Branard, next to St. Thomas University, Houston. The first thing I saw of the building, looking at it from outside is that it is small in size, windowless, unassuming and octagon in shape inscribed in Greek cross.

Approaching from the south, one would also see a steel sculpture written Broken Obelisk standing in the middle of a pool of water. Inside the building there are painting on a majestic scale which cover each of the eight walls. Little is there to barge in their power, just a few benches, eight to be precise, bare plaster and some few cushions on the floor. It is also amazing that the building appears to have doorways, but don’t lead anywhere, except to a small alcove which has nothing. I also noticed that the building has no modern lights fixed but only illuminated by the skylight from the afternoon sun.

What I learnt of the building was that it was designed to house the paintings of Mark Rothko, a Russian abstract expressionist. Nevertheless, the Chapel is also considered sacred but a non-denominational place of worship (Rothko Chap. 11). The fourteen paintings in the Chapel are just astonishing. The paintings are dark, in black hues while others are purplish. I learnt that there is a reason why Rothko did the paintings in this manner. The patron I found in the building explains that they are ‘sort of a window to beyond’.

In this regard, she explains that bright colors are meant to stop your vision at the canvas, where dark colors go past. After making a first glance at the paintings, it appeared made of solid, dark colors. Nevertheless, a closer look revealed that the paintings are made up of several uneven washes of pigments creating variations in every inch. It was amazing to be to find out that as I stepped back, waves of subtle color difference manifested across the broad surface, creating physical depth.

The canvases where the paintings are done are huge with the largest measuring 15 feet by 11 feet. What I cannot forget of the Chapel are large paintings, one after the other placed in a sling and lowered through the skylight. Another fascinating artistic work I saw was that done by Diego Rivera, a Mexican painter. He employed the use of Cubist paintings to make his pictures stand out. It is also interesting to realize that Rivera just like Rathko, did his paintings mostly on canvas. He depicts his friend Ramon Gomez de la Serna in somewhat a psychological portrayal showing Ramón calmly sited on a chair and appears to scribble on a book.

The top of the desk also lays a copy of El Rastro (The Flea Market), the book that he wrote in 1914. He uses uneven washes of pigments composed of a mixture of dark colors, yellow, green, brown, red, as well as purple creating variations. A closer look at the painting reveals that Rivera used green-on-black color treatment in this painting as a representation of foliage. This cubist style employed by Rivera allows the image to remain recognizable as it makes the images appear close to the source.

For instance, I did not have to struggle to see Ramon calmly sited. At the same time I could easily see the man standing behind him, plus the books and other drawings behind Ramon. Rivera unlike Rothko used dull colors to make the picture more visible (Diego 1). This is shown below. Work Cited Diego, Rivera. Portrait of Ramon Gomez de la Serna. 1915. Oil on canvas. Private Collection. Retrieved from: http://www.artsunlight.com/artist-NR/N-R0011-Diego-Rivera/N-R0011-080-portrait-of-ramon-gomez-de-la-serna-oil-on-canvas-private-collection.

html Rothko, Mark. Chapter 11: The Rothko Chapel. Retrieved from: http://vidal.genevieve.pagesperso-orange.fr/rothko/eng/cnt_12.htm