Rothko's Sacred Abstraction at Fondation Louis Vuitton

A review of the Rothko retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris reflects on the artist's engagement with the sacred, contrasting it with the Stendhal syndrome myth. The exhibition traces Rothko's shift from figuration to abstraction, emphasizing works like 'Blu and Gray' (1962) and 'n. 14' (1960). The author, Domenico Ioppolo, argues that Rothko's paintings function as icons, bridging the human and the sacred without offering consolation. The review also connects Rothko's art to contemporary conflicts, notably the Gaza war, asserting that art does not console but forces confrontation with reality. The exhibition includes a final room with three works titled 'Le couler, encore', curated by the artist's son to counter a reductive reading of Rothko's suicide. The piece critiques the notion that art must be understood, instead valuing its allusive power.