This week’s Fashion Inspired by Art is based on a piece from one of America’s most famous postwar artists. Mark Rothko’s “No. 14” hangs in the San Francisco Modern of Modern Art and is one of his many color field paintings that depict “basic human emotions.”

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Eighteen Inches Away: About Mark Rothko’s “No. 14”

Mark Rothko’s “No. 14” (1960) via Wikimedia Commons

Mark Rothko (1903-1970) was an American abstract painter. While he initially studied at Yale, after seeing a group of students sketching a model, Rothko enrolled in the New York School of Design. His early works were mostly portraits and urban scenes heavily influenced by Surrealism.

He didn’t start to develop his iconic style until the late 1940s. These paintings started out with bright, vibrant colors, though as time progressed, Rothko began employing darker blues and greens, perhaps a reflection of his increasingly tumultuous personal life.

Rothko worked in a very large scale. “No. 14? in particular clocks in at about 9’6? x 8’9”. Rothko felt that smaller paintings alienated viewers; a large painting that envelops the viewer creates a more intimate and profound experience (Rothko found the perfect viewing distance to be 18 inches away).

I enjoy Rothko because of his knack for capturing pure, unadulterated emotion. It’s up to the viewer to decide what the painting represents. Personally, I’ve interpreted “No. 14” as a piece indicates an end, a deep sunset ushering the day out and introducing time for introspection. (And even if you don’t care for Rothko, this work does make for some delicious toast.)

Outfits inspired by Rothko’s “No. 14”

Layers

Crop Top, Clutch, Tank, Nail Decals, Skirt, Flats, Earrings