Mark Rothko a Firenze: in preparazione della visita alla mostra di Palazzo Strozzi

How do we look at Rothko's abstract works? What should we understand? What do they represent? Is he mocking us? Are they a reflection of his autobiography? Many say they are unexpectedly moved by his imperfect rectangles of color floating on top of each other, while others react with annoyance. In this chat, I'll try to introduce you to the exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (and at the Monastero Museo di San Marco and the Laurentian Library), curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, to help you better understand the history and research of one of the most celebrated artists of the late twentieth century. His works make sense when viewed alone and in silence, like the profound existential questions they pose, so I thought we'd do a little preparation before our visit. Books I cite: I Don't Understand a Picasso, https://amzn.to/4t59uv4 Moonlit Night with Van Gogh, https://amzn.to/4ssi9GO Mark Rothko, Inside the Work, by Christopher Rothko, https://amzn.to/4cfWoE9 Pollock and Rothko, Gesture and Breath, by Gregorio Botta, https://amzn.to/3Q6mguP 00:00 Introduction (works to be viewed in silence) 01:34 The Biography 03:33 The Exhibition Co-Curated by His Son 05:00 The Misunderstanding: Reading the Works Autobiographically 06:30 The Suicide (1970) 07:50 The Works that Act as a Mirror 08:30 The Rift Between Avant-Garde and Taste 10:00 The Irascibles (New York School) 11:40 Self-Portrait (Tiresias the Blind Soothsayer) 2:20 PM Between Figuration and Surrealism (from 1923 to 1945) 3:19 PM Abstract Expressionism, Action Painting, Color Fields 5:12 PM Form that Wins Over Color 7:16 PM Italian Influence (Research Already in Geometric Fields) 9:00 PM The Surrealism of Refugees in the United States 10:38 PM Universal Myths (Pre-linguistic) and Jung 11:20 PM Abstract Watercolors with Ink 10:00 PM Tiresias (Male and Female) 10:00 PM Reconciling Warring Opposites 10:30 PM Second Marriage with Mell 10:18 PM Multiforms (1946-1947) Abstract 10:06 PM The Large Format, Entering the Work 10:40 PM The Reaction, the Initiation 12:10 PM Cells for Individual Meditation (Beato Angelico) 13:11 PM Meticulousness (alcohol) 37:52 Abstract Classics (Untitled) 39:02 Oil with Turpentine, Stains and Glazes 40:40 Imperfection and Tragic Humanity 41:19 Sucked in or Repelled (Us in the Mirror) 41:50 The Terror of the Empty Screen (of Meaning) 43:00 Works that Converse Together 44:30 Great Battles, Indefinite Contours 45:48 Seagram Building (Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson) 50:51 Closing the Windows (Laurentian Library) 53:30 Harvard Murals (1962) 54:12 Rothko Chapel (1964-1967) 55:48 Works on Paper 56:55 Black and Grey, Acrylics and White Border (Landscapes?) 1:00:00 Obsidian Mirrors That Reveal Us They question 1:01:00 Separation from his wife, depression