Rothko’s late 1950s period

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Rothko’s late 1950s period is a mature phase in Mark Rothko’s career marked by somber, large-scale color field paintings that explore depth, mood, and spirituality through dark, hovering rectangular forms.

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Predicate Object
instanceOf Mark Rothko period
artistic period
phase in an artist’s career
aimsAt direct emotional communication
transcendent spiritual experience
associatedWith Mark Rothko NERFINISHED
countryOfActivity United States of America
surface form: United States
follows Rothko’s early 1950s color field period
hasApproximateEndYear 1959
hasApproximateStartYear 1957
hasCharacteristic dark color palette
elimination of overt symbolism
emphasis on depth
emphasis on inner light
emphasis on mood
emphasis on viewer’s emotional response
focus on vertical formats
frontally oriented compositions
hovering rectangular forms
increasingly darker tonalities
intimate viewing distance despite large size
large-scale canvases
layered thin washes of paint
mature style
meditative atmosphere
monumental scale
non-representational imagery
rectangular color zones stacked vertically
reduced compositional elements
slow, contemplative viewing experience
soft transitions between figure and ground
soft-edged color fields
somber mood
spiritual exploration
subdued contrasts
subtle tonal variations
hasStartTime late 1950s
influenced contemporary abstract painters
later Color Field painters
influencedBy European modernism
Surrealism
mythic and religious themes
mainLocationOfActivity New York City NERFINISHED
movement Abstract expressionism
surface form: Abstract Expressionism

Color Field painting NERFINISHED
partOf Mark Rothko’s mature period
precedes Rothko’s early 1960s dark period
usesMedium oil paint on canvas

Referenced by (1)

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Black on Maroon artisticPeriod Rothko’s late 1950s period