13. juni 1943: die von den kritikern verrissenen maler mark rothko (markus jankelewitsch rotkowitsch) und adolph gottlieb antworten ihnen in der »new york times“ mit einem manifest:
(…)
1. kunst ist für uns ein abenteuer in eine unbekannte welt, die nur von risikobereiten menschen erkundet werden kann.
2. diese welt der vorstellungskraft ist phantasiefrei und dem gesunden menschenverstand heftig entgegengesetzt.
3. es ist unsere funktion als künstler, den zuschauer dazu zu bringen, die welt auf unsere weise zu sehen, nicht auf seine weise.
4. wir bevorzugen den einfachen ausdruck des komplexen gedankens. wir sind für die große form, weil sie die wirkung des eindeutigen hat. wir möchten die bildebene wieder stärken. wir sind für flache gormen, weil sie die illusion zerstören und die wahrheit offenbaren.
5. unter malern ist es eine weit verbreitete meinung, dass es egal ist, was man malt, solange es gut gemalt ist. das ist das wesen des akademismus. gute malerei um nichts gibt es nicht. wir behaupten, dass das thema entscheidend ist und dass nur das thema gültig ist, das tragisch und zeitlos ist. deshalb bekennen wir uns zu einer spirituellen verwandtschaft mit primitiver und archaischer kunst.
folglich muss unsere arbeit, wenn sie diese überzeugungen verkörpert, jeden beleidigen, der spirituell auf innendekoration eingestellt ist, bilder für zu hause, bilder für über den mantel, bilder der amerikanischen szene, soziale bilder, reinheit in der kunst, preisgekrönte topfkessel, die national academy, die whitney academy, die corn belt academy, rosskastanien, abgedroschene kutteln usw.
»We salute this honest, we might say cordial reaction towards our “obscure” paintings, for in other critical quarters we seem to have created a bedlam of hysteria. (…) We refuse to defend them not because we cannot. It is an easy matter to explain to the befuddled that “The Rape of Persephone”* is a poetic expression of the essence of the myth; the presentation of the concept of seed and its earth with all its brutal implications; the impact of elemental truth. Would you have us present this abstract concept with all its complicated feelings by means of a boy and girl lightly tripping?
It is just as easy to explain “The Syrian Bull”**, as a new interpretation of an archaic image, involving unprecedented distortions. Since art is timeless, the significant rendition of a symbol, no matter how archaic, has as full validity today as the archaic symbol had them. Or is the one 3000 years old truer? But these easy program notes can help only the simple-minded. No possible set of notes can explain our paintings. Their explanation must come out of a consummated experience between picture and onlooker. The appreciation of art is a true marriage of minds. And in art, as in marriage, lack of consummation is ground for annulment. The point at issue, it seems to us, is not an “explanation” of the paintings but whether the intrinsic ideas carried within the frames of these pictures have significance. We feel that our pictures demonstrate our aesthetic beliefs, some of which we, therefore, list:
1. To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks.
2. This world of the imagination is fancy-free and violently opposed to common sense.
3. It is our functions as artists to make the spectator see the world our way — not his way.
4. We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth.
5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.
Consequently if our work embodies these beliefs, it must insult anyone who is spiritually attuned to interior decoration; pictures for the home; pictures for over the mantle; pictures of the American scene; social pictures; purity in art; prize-winning potboilers; the National Academy, the Whitney Academy, the Corn Belt Academy; buckeyes, trite tripe; etc.
adolph gottlieb, the rape of persephone & mark rothko, the syrian bull
Yupedia 