M A R K R O T H K O : A Cross-Modal Approach A N N S A R N O S Y N E S T H E S I A I S N O T O N L Y H I G H L Y I N S T R U M E N T A L B U T P R I M A R Y I N O U R F I G U R A T I V E T H O U G H T A N D E X P R E S S I O N . T H E O V E R L A P P I N G O F S E N S O R Y M O D A L I T I E S C A N B E U S E D T O E L U C I D A T E C O M P L E X L A Y E R S O F P E R C E P T I O N T H R O U G H A U N I V E R S A L T Y P E O F M E T A P H O R . I N R E G A R D S T O A B S T R A C T E X P R E S S I O N I S M , A V I S U A L S T R A G E D Y T H A T I S V A G U E A N D V A S T , R E F E R R I N G T O A L T E R N A T I V E M O D E S O F P E R C E P T I O N T O C O M - P R E H E N D P A I N T I N G P R O V E S E X T R E M E L Y U S E F U L W H E N E X E R C I S E D W I T H D I S C R E - T I O N , T H E R E S E A R C H I H A V E C O N D U C T E D I N C L U D E S P S Y C H O L O G I C A L E X P E R I M E N T S , S T U D I E S O N C O L O R , G R A V I T Y , P H Y S I C S , A C O U S T I C S , A R C H I T E C T U R E A N D A R T C R I T I - C I S M , B Y A N A L Y Z I N G G R A V I T Y , V O L U M E , P I T C H W E I G H T A N D S A T U R A T I O N I N M U S I C , I H A V E I D E N T I F I E D T H E M I N A B S T R A C T E X P R E S S I O N I S T M A R K R O T H K O ' S A R T . A L T H O U G H T H E S E C O M P O N E N T S A R E M U T A B L E I N R O T H K O ' S C A R E E R , T H E Y A R E C O N S I S T E N T L Y P R E S E N T . " I became a painter because I wanted to raise painting to the level of poignancy of music and poetry.77 I N T R O D U C T I O N Mark Rothko once proclaimed " I became a painter because I wanted to raise painting to the level of poignancy of music and poetry."1 This tragedy which Rothko hoped to commu- nicate through visual art is often experienced while listen- ing to music. Even before Rothko's time, painter Wassily Kandinsky yearned to replicate the emotional impact of music in his art. Indeed, the visual and audible arts have been related since the time of Aristotle, who asserted in De Sensu, "we may regard all colours as analogous to the sounds that enter into music." The competitive relation- ship between music and art has an intricate history which is currently under review by neuroscientists. S Y N E S T H E S I A Evidently, music, particularly Mozart's Don Giovanni, greatly influenced Rothko throughout his career. As a col- lege student who lived in Rothko's flat for a short interim recalled " i n the evenings he would lie on the couch for hours saying nothing, just contemplating or looking at one of his pictures that was hanging up and listening to music." 1 1 In order to evoke the same energy and emotions as the opera, Rothko painted in a studio saturated with music. As a self-taught mandolin player and pianist, he used musical expression to arrive at emotional realization i n the past. Additionally Rothko's musical talent resulted i n his marriage to his first wife. While strolling through Central Park, Edith was attracted to Rothko's beautiful, en- rapturing mandolin playing. Although he ultimately aban- doned music for painting, it is clear that it impacted his life as well as his cognitive processes. Untitled 1932 is a blatant attempt to convey his passion for music. The ethereal string quartet plays vigorously. Rich blues and browns project a solemn and nearly spiritual quality. Because he had tremendous respect for musicians, especially the classics, Rothko "could spend very happy hours, flat on his back on the couch, listening to Mozart." 1 1 1 Music served as a muse and an aphrodisiac for h im. Neuroscientists have considered the synthesis of various modes of perception i n the brain for decades. They have coined the term, "synesthesia," most simply defined as "inter-sensory association." While several forms of synes- thesia exist, the most dominant type melds the domains of the seeing and hearing. Additionally, overlaps between the bodily kinesthetic and music have also been noted. Resulting from a severe psychological disorder, color ap- pears spontaneously to synesthetes upon perceiving audi- tory stimuli. Kandinsky may have asserted himself as a synesthete, but he probably was not. This self-declaration was more likely an egotistical attempt to propagate his unique and ad- vanced painting abilities. On the other hand, David Hockney and his neurologist Richard Cytowic maintain that Kandinsky possesses this extremely rare condition.^ He painted sets for Stravinsky's opera Rossignol by listen- ing to the music in his studio and using the color and rhythm he perceived from the music. Whether or not these artists truly suffered from severe synesthesia is question- able. Their claims however, support the notion of translat- ing music into color and the audio/ visual cross modal per- ception of paintings. Scientists have broadened their definition in light of the nonsynesthete's capacity to transfer between sensory realms through learned metaphor. According to Bulat M. ELEM ENTS S P R I N G 0 6 Galeyev, scientist and artist, "synesthesia is an essential as- pect of language and, more generally, of all figurative think- ing, including all imaginative thinking (for all kinds of art, including music)." v Synesthesia is not only highly instru- mental, but primary in our figurative thought and expres- sion. I do not propose that Rothko was a synesthete. Nor do I pro- pose that the abstract elements of painting—line, color and form—are synonymous with the line, pitch and timbre of music. Creating cross-field analogies is arbitrary i f not fu- tile. Neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Ternaux maintains, "Transferring structural or numerical features from one domain to another may thus in many cases result in some quite bad category mistakes, i.e. mistaking principles of or- ganization in one domain as valid for other, totally different domains."V 1 The overlapping of modalities can be used in- stead to elucidate complex layers of perception through a universal type of metaphor. In regards to abstract expres- sionism, a movement that is vague and vast, referring to al- ternative modes of perception to comprehend painting proves extremely useful when exercised with discretion. The research I have conducted includes psychological ex- periments, studies on color, gravity, physics, acoustics, ar- chitecture and art criticism. Although my sources seem far and too many i n between, I have discovered several remark- able elements present in Rothko's work which reify the con- M A R K R O T H K O ! A C R O S S - M O D A L A P P R O A C H cept of synesthesia. By analyzing gravity, volume, pitch, weight and saturation in music, I have recognized them in visual art. These components are mutable in Rothko's ca- reer but consistently present. "The Subway Series," "Multiforms", "Fat Rectangles" and "The Houston Chapel" distinctly engage the spectator with cross-modal effects. This presentation highlights the synesthetic qualities of his paintings from each period. G R A V I T Y Beginning with the Subway Series, Rothko facilitates gravi- tational tension through hyperbolized body proportions. In "Subway of the 1930s," the height of the figures strains from the platform to the ceiling. With the exception of the young woman depicted on the left, the images have a strik- ing resemblance to caryatid or atlantes figures. The cary- atids of the Porch of the Maidens at the Erectheum extend gracefully from the entablature. Although they are very serene and stoic, with their hands positioned calmly at their sides, the immense weight they support with their heads is alarming. These women serve as architectural constructs, as emblematic retribution for the females of the village Caryae who betrayed the Greeks by siding with the Persians. The expressionless faces of the Subway figures evoke the same quiet stillness as the maidens. Like the Greek sculp- tures, they do not appear punished by their physical state, but their body language indicates tension. Although they do not uphold the architecture of the station and the woman on the right leans against a column to support her own weight, it appears that the subterranean environment would collapse in their absence. Scientist Bulat M. Galeyev has examined the properties of gravity in visual art. He proposes that there are two distinct versions of gravitational synestheses: "spatial or static" and "kinesthetic". The static applies to abstract art, "Spatial synestheses arise due to our experience of the static gravi- tational field and arise in static arts (such as painting, archi- tecture, etc.). For example, the horizontal line at the lower edge of a picture is perceived as more 'heavy' and 'stable' than the vertical lines that delineate the sides." v u The con- trast between this sense static gravitational synesthesia por- trays the thick, horizontal ceiling and floor and the vertical floppy, emaciated subway figures. Because the precarious stability of caryatids and of Rothko figures is assimilated into our own perceptions of gravity, the onlooker cannot evade the sense of weight expressed in these works. This kinesthetic synthesis is also applicable to later work, partic- ularly his signature horizontal compositions. I n contrast contextually, the caryatids are not responsible for upholding their surroundings nor held blatantly against their wil l . Rothko's figures and the caryatids share states of immobility that are exacerbated by looming gravity, whether it is the heaviness of an entablature or a boisterous New York City street. Similar to the caryatids, the individu- als in the subway station cannot control or predict their own mobility. The arrival and departure of the trains are beyond their locus of power. Their "sentence" of waiting is indefi- nite. They cannot predict the duration of their time i n the station or influence the speed and regularity of public transportation. Clearly, they possess the freedom to leave at anytime to pur- sue other means of transport but this is unlikely. Once an individual engages in the act of waiting, passed time resem- bles progress towards the goal. Presumably, the longer one has waited, the less time they have to wait i n the future. The omnipresent gravity in this setting, due to the psychologi- cal captivity and the physical confinement, agitates this psy- chological trap, and anxiety ensues. Rothko's rejection of the figure in later works expands the perception of this spatial synthesis to the spectator's realm. Through the depiction of physical bodies, viewers become witnesses. Without figurative representation, onlookers do not merely observe but experience. The Subway figures are surrogate victims of gravity, whereas Rothko's untitled work elicits the viewer's own kinesthetic response. Gravity is also a component of sound, which is increasingly ELEM ENTS S P R I N G 06 relevant in Rothko's Multiforms: "...gravitational-audile and gravitational-visual synestheses rise to the level of con- sciousness. They can be found in ordinary speech in the form of veiled metaphors and conventional allegories based on intersensory transfers, such as baritone' (heavy sound) 'light music' 'heavy chords' etc."™ 1 The properties of gravity correlate with the protopathic element of sensa- tions and are exposed in the most typical emotional re- sponses such as a "heavy mood" being weighed down or as light as a feather. Number 18 for example, includes many fluffy, light bodies that do not appear burdened with gravity. Rothko's loose application of paint and the undaunted organization of forms suggest buoyancy. They are not restricted like the subway figures but have a nimble autonomy. Their weight- less quality compares with the lightness of musicians like Scriabin, Shoenberg and Messiaen. Without concrete bor- ders, the forms appear to float and swirl in motion like the nonchalance of Shoenberg's compositions. S O U N D A N D COLOR S A T U R A T I O N Visual movement and actions are clearly linked with the creation of sound. Consequently, listeners wi l l often create an internal image which depicts the creation of a sound. Marching or beating a drum may come to mind when an in- dividual hears a certain sound and assumes its origins. Neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Ternaux distinguishes two groups of sound-producing actions, ballistic and sustained. Ballistic refers to "a brief, concentrated effort immediately followed by a phase of relaxation, as in the case of hitting or kicking and in performance on percussion instruments and certain keyboard instruments such as the piano . . . the moment of impact is immediately followed by a shorter or longer period of energy dissipation in which the sound usually has a decaying shape." 1X This vibrating description of shock followed by decay is reminiscent of these early multiforms. The blue form in the upper register for example, has a thick, concentrated application of paint that diffuses and decomposes. Like striking a chord on the piano, the sound is initially sharp and rich and then it becomes softer and dispersed. This is also true of the blue forms in Untitled 1947. Whether communicated by a stroke of a paintbrush or piano keys, the reverberating effect is the same. The spectator perceives the initial, intense effort and the subse- quent ease of the ballistic. Vibrating energy is conveyed in lieu of intersensory transfers. "Saturation [of color] is comparable to volume [of sound] in many respects. " I n the early 1950's, Rothko's style took a dramatic turn. The majority of his signature compositions were created during this phase. Although they are renowned for their bold color, it is not their most significant feature. In fact, color is not the driving force of the emotion in this work. Saturation, rather than the distinct color, engenders more visual force. D'Andrade and Egan (1974) discovered that "color-emotion associations were not due predominately to hue (i.e. the spectral wavelength) but to the degree of satu- ration and brightness of the color." x Rothko, who always in- sisted his work was not about color, would probably prefer this approach. Saturation is comparable to the volume in many respects. The amount of paint or the amount of sound is more ag- gressive in greater magnitudes. I f volume fades, or color fades, the effect is more gentle or weaker. In Number 7 of 1951, Rothko presents a variety of color tones and levels of saturation. The top register of blue rubbed cryptically over orange is an example of low saturation. The under painting is highly visible beneath the soft blue. Each tier becomes progressively more saturated. Thick, light green spreads M A R K R O T H K O ! A C R O S S - M O D A L A P P R O A C H " Rothko's compositions do not rely on color tone alone to communicate. Saturation and volume are essential to the emotional force of his work." nearly to the edges completely concealing the orange. A narrow band of white is another example of low saturation whereas the final tier is punctuated by a heavy, dense red. These fluctuations of saturation are similar to fluctuations in volume. The wispy blue is meek, translucent, barely vis- ible and barely audible. It attempts to conceal the orange but is too weak. Green booms with greater intensity and overtakes the orange under layer. The center of this form is slightly yellowed and softer but still opaque. The ending red is most aggressive because of its high saturation. Unlike the other registers, there is no indication of color change or brushstrokes. It is loudest of all. These forms compete to be seen as music played at a variety of volumes compete to be heard. Strength or weakness is communi- cated by magnitude. In light of the perceivable discrepan- cies i n volume or saturation, it is clear which forms domi- nate in this composition. A n even stronger illustration of this idea is a comparison of three works with nearly identical color palates but very distinct levels of saturation. Untitled 1955, Yellow and Gold 1956 and Untitled 1956 are composed of yellows and oranges. Despite the similarities in hue, the level of satura- tion i n each painting engenders a very different effect. Untitled 1955 has a very translucent, blurred application of paint. It lacks volume and visual strength; consequently, it is very soothing to the eye. The opacity in Yellow and Gold 1956 are relatively opaque but not nearly as saturated as Untitled 1956. The yellows in both compositions are nearly the same but have a completely different result. Inarguably, the untitled piece is extremely forceful i f not violent due to the magnitude of saturation. It is clear to the onlooker that the final canvas is piercing in volume in rela- tion to the gentle volume of Untitled 1955. Rothko's compo- sitions do not rely on color tone alone to communicate. Saturation and volume are essential to the emotional force of his work. L I G H T N E S S A N D P I T C H The next comparison of Untitled 1954 and Purple Brown, 1957 demonstrate the correlations between visual lightness and auditory pitch. Experiments have demonstrated that people make consistent associations between particular pitches and value. As early as the 1940's, researchers rec- ognized that "Auditory stimuli that are lower in frequency typically evoke visual sensations of stimuli that are darker, and auditory stimuli that are higher in frequency typically evoke visual sensations of stimuli that are lighter." X 1 The light visual stimuli presented in Untitled ig$4 and the dark visual stimuli presented Purple Brown generate distinct cross-modal associations. As the spectator attempts to de- rive meaning from these works, the element of pitch is highly conductive to his or her perception of the painting. I n a recent study in the American Journal of Psychology, sub- jects were asked to assign auditory pitches to a visual scale of value on a luminescent column. Researchers concluded "A clear relationship was seen between the direction and size of an auditory melodic interval and the visual luminos- ity judged as fitting best with that interval. Lighter visual stimuli were judged to fit best with descending intervals. Additionally, the size of melodic intervals (within the octave range used) led to preferences for more extreme levels of lightness or darkness; specifically, visually lighter stimuli were preferred for larger ascending intervals than for smaller ascending intervals, and visually darker stimuli were preferred for larger descending intervals than for smaller descending intervals." x u I n summary, scientists ELEM ENTS : : S P R I N G 06 have proved a precise relationship between pitch and visual lightness. This interplay of the senses produces the emo- tive characteristics of Rothko's work. Like the previously discussed component of saturation and volume, perceived pitch contributes to the amount of per- ceived energy in the composition. For example, Untitled ig