Subjective Critique

Looking at this oil on canvas painting by Mark Rothko, I felt next to no emotions. I didn’t feel excited, I didn’t feel sad and I couldn’t tell what or where I was supposed to look. I feel art should evoke an emotional response from its viewers, but I felt none of that when I look at this painting.

Three reasons you don’t like it: There are a few reasons I’m not fond of this painting. First, there is nothing that anchors my attention. I see three thick lines/boxes, but not one that stands out more than the others. The top line is a different color than the other two, but my eyes wander around the painting looking for a subject. Second, I’m not fond of the method the medium (oil) was applied to the canvas. It looks sloppy and hurried. The top line doesn’t look completed and the base layer looks like it’s pealing. Lastly, art should stimulate one of the senses in some way, but this painting fails to stimulate any of my senses. The colors are almost pleasant, but the top shade of yellow/green is an eyesore.  The shapes are almost interesting, but don’t add enough contrast. The background has an interesting texture, but has no separation from the foreground objects other than a slight color change. This painting evokes no emotions, there is nothing to anchor my attention and it appears poorly rendered. 

To change this image, I would fix a few issues. The most important aspect I would add would be a focus point; there needs to be something to look at. This focus point could be duel purpose. It could be a point for the eyes to converge and also help evoke an emotional response from the viewer.  Since the colors are similar to a sunset, I might use the color palatte and style, but reorganize it into a rendering of a landscape sunset scene.