I saw the Rothko Chapel last time, but when we were finally able to get in (after the memorial service), I realized I remembered everything wrong. I thought the paintings were "red/umber" but in reality they're purple/black. Oops! I also thought the whole place was almost completely dark. Nope, there is an octagonal skylight.
I wish I had a photo of the inside, but it was hard to hide from the guard... basically the walls are covered with 14 20-foot-high paintings that are all different variations and combinations of purple and black. (The black is barely discernible on top of the purple.) Rows of wooden benches fill the middle of the octagonal space, perfect for meditative contemplation.
Again, religion via art, art as religion. Definitely something I could get evangelical about.
The photo above is of the Barnett Newman sculpture outside the chapel -- very similar to the one usually in the main atrium at MoMA.
1 comment:
I love that much of your blog is a mini-seminar on contemporary art!
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