Mark Rothko, “White and Greens with Blue”, oil on canvas, 1957, private collection.
I believe each day, especially during this COVID pandemic, we should take a moment to do something that makes us feel at peace. For me, it’s looking at works of art that touch my soul. As an art lecturer and educator for the past thirty years I have had the opportunity to travel and see up close and personal many works of art that I have had a visceral reaction to, and this makes me smile.
One work is “White and Greens, With Blue,” painted by Mark Rothko, the Latvian-born, Jewish American Abstract Expressionist. He stated, “I’M INTERESTED ONLY in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doubt… the fact that a lot of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions … If you are moved only by their color relationships, then you miss the point.”
As I look at the huge canvas, its serenity draws me in. I am enveloped by the calming colors of blue, green, and white. How can just blocks of color touch me? Throughout history, color has carried symbolic meaning. Blue holds the symbolic meaning of peace, truth, and tranquility. Blue is the color of cool water; it is soothing. Green is the color of nature and health, and fertility and safety. The color green is a relaxing color that is pleasing to the eye and is said to have healing powers. White stands for purity, its simplicity untainted by any other hue. White stands for everything pure, good, and right. White is associated with knowledge and learning. Today, colors continue to express emotional intensity.
I understand his message. I am moved by this extraordinary piece, my heart skips a beat, tears well up, I feel elation and trust. Today, just for today—not yesterday, not tomorrow—I will concentrate on the blue, the green, the white of this magnificent painting—believing, trusting, loving all that is good, all that is precious in life. I feel energized and happy. Isn’t it amazing how blocks of color can touch us?
