MARK ROTHKO

When I was an art student, back in 1986, we went on a field trip to the TATE gallery, and at this young and silly age .. I thought all modern art, was either crap, or overrated. I eventually learned how to enjoy post modern art, and treat it as a statement, an ideology, rather than "someone trying to show off" or worse "my niece could paint better than that" (makes me cringe even now thinking like that).

Back to 1986, and I found myself in the Mark Rothko room, and I sat there, looking at these quite formidable paintings, feeling a sense of calm, and contentment, my art tutor then found me and exclaimed "ooh you found the Rothko's I knew that you would"
She then told me about the canvas being just the center of a bigger picture, and that the paintings, are a window that draws you in .. and they do! they have this hypnotic feeling, that you cannot put into words. Famously, his Seagram paintings made people feel ill. This is all powerful stuff indeed. Try and see some Rothko before you die, that will be on my tombstone.