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Rothko @ Tate Modern

The Rothko exhibit is a bit of a disappointment.  Perhaps too many pieces, so people trying to figure out which painting will give them the spiritual experience they’re supposed to have.

I found the forensic part of the exhibit unpleasant, and to some extent unhelpful.  My reaction is almost, “so what”.  One painting was hung so you could walk around it and see the back.  Maybe some people found that useful, I thought Rothko would have probably puked.

The works on paper, though, were wonderful and displayed with sympathy.  They provoke, as did the small sketches Rothko did for other paintings.

Overall, as someone who keeps asking, “what was Rothko thinking”, when I look at his work, I left thinking, “what was the Tate thinking?…”