The Artist’s Reality: Philosophies of Art

Mark Rothko’s classic book on artistic practice, ideals, and philosophy, now with an expanded introduction and an afterword by Makoto Fujimura

Stored in a New York City warehouse for many years after the artist’s death, this extraordinary manuscript by Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was published to great acclaim in 2004. Probably written in 1940 or 1941, it contains Rothko’s ideas on the modern art world, art history, myth, beauty, the challenges of being an artist in society, the true nature of ＂American art,＂ and much more.

In his introduction, illustrated with examples of Rothko’s work and pages from the manuscript, the artist’s son, Christopher Rothko, describes the discovery of the manuscript and the fascinating process of its initial publication. This edition includes discussion of Rothko’s ＂Scribble Book＂ (1932), his notes on teaching art to children, which has received renewed scholarly attention in recent years and provides clues to the genesis of Rothko’s thinking on pedagogy.

In an afterword written for this edition, artist and author Makoto Fujimura reflects on how Rothko’s writings offer a ＂lifeboat＂ for ＂art world refugees＂ and a model for upholding artistic ideals. He considers the transcendent capacity of Rothko’s paintings to express pure ideas and the significance of the decade-long gap between The Artist’s Reality and Rothko’s mature paintings, during which the horrors of the Holocaust and the atomic bomb were unleashed upon the world.

Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was born in Russia and came to the United States with his family in 1913. A major figure in New York’s Abstract Expressionist movement, he has been the subject of retrospectives at museums worldwide. Christopher Rothko, a writer and psychologist, is actively involved in managing the Rothko legacy by organizing and presenting exhibitions of his father’s work around the globe. Makoto Fujimura is an artist, an award-winning author, and the recipient of the 2023 Kuyper Prize. His books include Art and Faith: A Theology of Making.