Music and art often come together, inspiring and enriching each other as
pure expressions of their contemporary context. Though he never studied
formally, Rothko played the piano, often for hours at a time, and he was
profoundly moved by music throughout his life – particularly Mozart.
In a talk by Vitaly Patsyukov, followed by a composition by Morton Feldmans,
performed by the band ‘Black Out’, we shall explore how Mark Rothko’s later
work shared characteristics with the music that was created in the same
cultural context as his paintings. In particular, both aspects of this event
will focus on Rothko’s ‘black’ compositions which were created shortly before
his death, and directly inspired Feldman’s composition ‘Broken Symmetry’.
Vitaly Patsyukov is an art historian and curator at the National Centre for
Contemporary Arts
