MARK ROTHKO AND HU QINWU COMPARISON
‘I paint large pictures because I want to create a state of intimacy. A large picture is an immediate transaction; it takes you into it’ - Mark Rothko 'In China today change is so fast, and as society changes so fast, values change too. You must turn inwards to find a quiet place, and true values. I want the viewer to also look inwards.' - Hu Qinwu Mark Rothko’s Four Darks in Red (1958) creates an overwhelming sense of gloom and incompleteness of forms. Four Darks in Red consumes the viewer through 3 dark burgundy figures; a slim form at the top and 2 larger forms, each separate. The lowermost, burgundy form is surrounded by a restricting, lighter burgundy that contains the form underneath. The lighter burgundy is applied with carelessness as it blurs into the burgundy form above and the form underneath. A black figure with blurred edges takes over the horizontal frame, either consuming the burgundy or receding. Over the top of the painting is a translucent glaze of umber brown which places the forms in a peaceful state. The size of the painting allows the viewer to be consumed by the dark colours producing the sense of intimacy that Rothko refers to. The colours allow for a communication of emotion from Rothko to his viewer creating a personal relationship between painter and audience. Hu Qinwu uses a range of line and grid to create his work 11503 (2011). 11503 is made up of rich burgundy layers, a darker burgundy as the first layer reveals the layers above due to the use of lighter colour. There is a layer of small to minute, lighter burgundy circles sorted into a grid pattern that line the painting vertically. The circles are drops of water on the oil paint and represent a form of text. The layer above the grid of circles is a transparent layer of red that is applied on either side of the painting although the transparent red does not meet in the middle, there is incompleteness. The red creates a ghostly feel over the grid of hovering circles and the protruding burgundy. The size of the painting creates an overwhelming feel as well as a feeling of peace, the transparency allows the layered figures to hover and vibrate over the burgundy adding to the three dimensional effect. The grid of circles represent a form of text and communication between the viewer and the painter. Mark Rothko was born Russia in 1903 and migrated to the U.S in 1913. Rothko began his practice painting portraits, nudes and urban scenes, however, this developed into more abstract figures until the 1950’s when Rothko painted rectangular forms on an open colour field canvas which are now seen as typical of Rothko. Four Darks in Red is a typical Rothko work as he focusses on and experiments with rectangular forms and colours. There is one aspect of Four Darks in Red that is atypical, the lowermost burgundy form lies under a messily applied, smudged, lighter burgundy that links the above and lowermost form. Mark Rothko and many other artists of the 1950s began a small group of Abstract Expressionists, ‘The New York School’, which introduced new perspectives into the New York art world. They were identified by their open colour plains, abstraction and underlying emotional ties which are typical of Rothko’s works. Hu Qinwu was born in Shandon, China in 1969. Hu Qinwu uses a range of mediums in his works such as photography, painting and printmaking. 11503 is made using different techniques and materials; oil paint creates the layers of burgundy and the small circles form a grid by dripping water onto the oil paint mixed with a solvent which works its way into the oil paint. Tempera paint and ink are other materials Hu uses in works on paper. Each movement on the surface is disciplined and contained without the intention of changing after the work is completed. Hu Qinwu combines the contemporary art making with the traditional art practices of ancient China (use of ink) and in addition, elements of his works are linked to those of Buddhist belief and practice, peace and tranquility as a Buddhist himself. Four Darks in Red was produced using washes of paint to stain the canvas, creating a sense of layering and luminosity. Rothko started with mixing oil paints with turpentine, beginning with a stained canvas, would paint thin layers of different colours then blurred the edges using a ‘turpentine burn’ where he would scrub back into the surface of the canvas. This scrubbing back allowed for the audience to see through the layers of colours. The rectangular forms allowed the audience to create a personal link between the colour and emotion. Four Darks in Red includes a black suggesting death, oppressive burgundy that can be interpreted to suggest blood or flames and a red/brown glaze suggesting light or state of contemplation. The audience’s reactions are based upon their personal connection with the painting and the colour’s themselves. The forms relate to each viewer deeply on a deep, emotion level as Rothko intended. The painting evokes a sense of peaceful despair, silent suffering, which is evident in the overwhelming black and the oppressive burgundy. Similar to Rothko (in his work Four Darks in Red), Hu Qinwu (in his work 11503) uses layering of incomplete, burgundy forms to allow the audience to feel peace. The painting materials in Rothko’s works are predominately oil paint, similar to Hu. Both works are influenced by the artist’s world, Rothko’s rejection of American pop culture and Hu’s search of an “inward”, “quiet place” in fast-paced China. Four Darks in Red and 11503 are large scale images which add to the meaning, creating intimacy and a relationship between audience and painter as Rothko and Hu aim to bring the audience to a complete emotion – in my opinion, both artworks evoke peace, however this may have not been Rothko’s intention. Works by Rothko and Hu require the audience to delve deeply to find deeper meaning through the use of colour, form and shape – Hu’s small circles, Rothko’s hovering forms. Every movement on the canvas made by Hu is deliberate, similar to Rothko. However in contrast to Rothko, Hu’s movements are controlled and once complete, there is no enhancement. Rothko works are scrubbed back after completion adding layering and paint is applied with an element of carelessness. Hu Qinwu and Mark Rothko use similar techniques and materials to create a connection between audience and painter. Mark Rothko has been influenced by, and influenced many, including Hu Qinwu. Hu takes influence from Rothko in terms of scale and exploration of colour. Rothko created a category of his own linking colour with emotion and reaching the audience on a deeper level, in which Hu has taken inspiration from. Mark Rothko himself was influenced by artists, friends, movements, mythology and philosophy. Mark Rothko continued his rectangular form and colour-filled painting which allowed the audience to feel the intimacy, that Rothko desired, and leave them in a contemplative state, consuming them; “immediate transaction”. Hu Qinwu aims to allow the audience to be delivered into a “quiet place” to find “true values” that are lost in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. Just as Rothko’s work consumes the audience, Hu’s work takes the audience on a journey to find peace “inwards”. |