Publications by tag: week of american art

Tonalism is often likened to jazz. Both of them sound American, and in both of them, one simple theme, one simple color can unfold plotlessly, emotionally, virtuously, in a variety of shades and nuances. It is just like an improvisation club session: a short string of notes rolling over in endless variations, or a white dress on a white background, white shadows on white walls.

You can't imagine the amount of harsh criticism being fired at the works of an immigrant from Tsarist Russia, who became one of the most famous American artists. "A daub", "a work of a house painter, not an artist", "the emperor has no clothes" – the more collectors pay for Rothko's paintings, the more there are those willing to express their disappointment in them. We aren't going to explain…

In their desire to capture the volatility of the current moment, artists from the New World did not lag behind their French colleagues, they ravaged Parisian studios and created their own Impressionism with a national flavour. Instead of the vibrant life of noisy Parisian cafés and streets, quiet landscapes and simple joys of family life often appeared on their canvases. Unfortunately, even art…