Chapter 1
The journey to the color fields
Chapter 2
The secret chemistry of glowing canvas
Chapter 3
The great dining room rebellion
Chapter 4
The sanctuary of shadows
YOUR GOAL
Master of Mark Rothko and the secret chemistry of emotion
Ch 2 · The secret chemistry of glowing canvas
choko Rothko's Glowing Paint Chemistry
Mix the modern resins with egg yolk (oh-oh!) Just to watch the canvas glow (yeah, they glow!)
choko Rothko's Seven Ingredients
Seven ingredients to make a work of art—(tell me now!) With ten percent of hope to heal a heavy heart!—(that's how you start!)
choko Combining dry pigments, egg, glue, and dammar resin created the thin, transparent washes that let light bounce through.
choko Rothko designed his massive canvases to trigger deep, unexplained emotions in viewers.
BETA
choko Mix glowing color layers to discover how Rothko used simple shapes to trigger powerful feelings.
Fun Fact
Glowing egg yolks: Rothko secretly mixed egg yolks and rabbit-skin glue into his paint to make it glow.
Glossary
binder (noun)
A substance that holds other materials together to form a cohesive whole. Rothko mixed pigments with binders like egg yolk to achieve his famously radiant, layered paintings.
A substance that holds other materials together to form a cohesive whole. Rothko mixed pigments with binders like egg yolk to achieve his famously radiant, layered paintings.
Quiz
What unusual organic binder did Mark Rothko mix with dry pigments to create his translucent, layered paint?
Quiz
How did Mark Rothko make the solid shapes in his paintings appear to hover and vibrate on the canvas?
Quiz
What is the visual phenomenon called when contrasting colors placed side by side make a painting appear to shimmer or vibrate?
Quiz
How close did Mark Rothko insist that viewers should stand to his large-scale paintings?
Quiz
What did Mark Rothko state was the most critical, primary ingredient in his 'recipe' for a work of art?