A new gallery has recently opened in London and it's opening exhibition is by Mark Rothko, a small series of paintings in acrylic on paper. I've seen a few Rothko paintings over the years at various exhibitions and galleries, including the Tate collection, and they've always been big things but these were pleasantly small and would fit in anyone's living room. That was quite a surprise and joy - I could have one of these in my home.
There's something about Rothko's paintings that I can't quite put a finger on that attract me. I'm sure I read somewhere that they're quite meditative but that's someone else's view and not mine, but they are quite peaceful, quite restful to gaze at. Is it the colour palette, the shape, the size? I don't know, I'm still making up my mind, but I like them.
There are 22 paintings on display and I probably spent a ridiculous amount of time examining the brush strokes and the colours - is the yellow in tis painting the same as the yellow in that painting on the opposite wall? Is this orange the same or is it slightly more pink? If the curators had spent more time thinking about people like me rather than the overall shape of the exhibition they would've hung some of the paintings side by side so I could examine them properly. Still, can't have it all I suppose.
It may be small but it's perfectly formed. I really enjoyed it and I'm pleased I've seen these rarely exhibited works. It's only on for another couple of weeks so, if you're in the West End, it's well worth visiting - book a slot through the Pace website and see some paintings you'll probably never have the opportunity to see again.
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