Lost in translation: Phenomenology and Mark Rothko's Writings

Abstract

Mark Rothko left behind a significant body of writing, among which were letters, essays, brief notes, and even an unfinished manuscript. He would often write about the perception and reception of art, alongside what constitutes - in his opinion - a 'good' artwork. His thoughts on the perception of art are, in some respects, quite similar to contemporary phenomenology, specifically Paul Crowther's. In this thesis, an attempt was made at connecting Rothko's writings to Crowther's phenomenology, while also looking into previously written essays on phenomenology and Rothko, to see whether their approach was similar.