Friday 5 December 2008, 13.00–13.30

Rothko created the compelling surfaces in the Seagram murals by overlapping translucent and opaque paints, building an engaging interplay between the background and figure, and depth was created by allowing underlayers to shimmer through.  How he worked has been difficult to discover since he did not provide details himself and did not like to be watched at work.

An advanced scientific study of the Seagram murals in Tate's Collection was carried out and the results were combined with first-hand information from interviews with his studio assistant, Dan Rice, in order to provide a greater understanding of the materials and techniques used to create these works.

This talk by the Head of Painting Conservation at Tate will highlight some of the findings and will show off Rothko's paintings in a new light.

Tate Modern  Starr Auditorium
Free
Seated on a first-come, first-served basis

  

This event is related to the Rothko exhibition