Mark Rothko (Died 1970 aged 66) – A large mark with bold colours, frothed at the edges

(Pronounced mark roth-ko)

Mark Rothko – A giant mark with frothed edges covers the canvas

A mark (Mark) with a bit of froth and bold colours (Rothko).

Mark Rothko produced paintings of large rectangles of colour, blurred or 'fuzzy' at the edges. They are blocks of colour, devoid of any figures, symbols or form.

Rothko wanted people to ask of his work: "What kind of emotion do you think I have painted here?"

He was born in Latvia, which was at the time part of the Russian Empire, but moved to America with his family aged ten.

He studied painting at university and left to promote abstract art in America. His work is known as abstract expressionism.

Orange and Yellow, 1956

Rothko painted on very large canvases, allowing the viewer to feel as if they were inside, almost consumed by the artwork.

Nobody before had created – Moods with a few blocks or stripes of colour