Page 47 - Studio International - June 1971

Facing page The Rothko Many of those who knew Rothko's murals in
Mary Martin/Kenneth Martin the special ambiance of his 69th Street studio
An Arts Council touring exhibition 1970-71
Installation shot at Scottish Arts Council Gallery, Chapel in Houston had no difficulty in believing in them, and in the
Edinburgh, February 1971 possibility that the spiritual values he so often
stressed could be shown forth. But in the
Dore Ashton
2 Installation shot at Bristol City Art Gallery, April emptiness that is Texas, despite its crowded
1971
cities and its visible prosperity, something went
3 Kenneth Martin wrong. Not everything went wrong, but
Screw mobile 1956
Phosphor bronze and steel something went wrong. I have spent the weeks
Height 35 in.; diam. 14 in. since the dedication of the Rothko Chapel (at
Lent by Adrian Heath the Institute of Religion and Human
4 Installation shot at Bristol City Art Gallery, April Development in Houston, on February 27,
1971 1971), intermittently trying to locate the devils
5 Mary Martin that had made of Mark Rothko's monumental
Standing permutation 1968 effort something less than successful.
Stainless steel and wood
10 1/2 x 21 x 24 in. Religious music without religion is almost Reluctantly I must admit that I have not
Photos by Susan Tebby always vulgar. - Igor Stravinsky succeeded in going much beyond the obvious
R.C.: Must one be a believer to compose in these fact that murals must depend on their
forms ? supporting structure: the architecture of the
I.S. : Certainly, and not merely a believer in octagonal structure is not augustly austere, as
`symbolic figures' but in the Person of the Lord, I'm sure the architects thought it might be, but
the Person of the Devil, and the Miracles of the only simplistically humble. When the Catholic
Church. (Conversations with Igor Stravinsky, patrons, Mr and Mrs John de Menil, conceived
1959) of this cecumenical chapel, no doubt they

Rothko Capel with
Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk in foreground
Courtesy : Marlborough Gallery, New York
273