Mark Rothko's Paper Works Unveiled in Oslo Retrospective

The Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo hosts the first major retrospective in Scandinavia dedicated to Mark Rothko (1903–1970), focusing on his lesser-known works on paper. Over 80 pieces trace the artist's career from figurative beginnings to abstract expressionism, including landscapes, portraits, surrealist compositions, and mythological themes. The exhibition, titled "Mark Rothko. Paintings on Paper," runs until September 22, 2024. Rothko, born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz in Daugavpils, Latvia, immigrated to the US in 1913. He studied at Yale on a scholarship but left in 1923, moving to New York where he attended Parsons School of Design and the Art Students League under Max Weber. His first group show was in 1928 at the Opportunity Gallery. The show highlights how his early figurative works, such as "Bathers" (1934), already hint at his signature color fields. In the 1940s, Rothko briefly embraced Surrealism, influenced by European émigrés like Ernst and Miró, before fully developing his Abstract Expressionist style. The paper works, closer to human scale, emphasize optical effects and intense colors.