Why is the artist\u2019s work racking up hundreds of thousands of views on social media? For a generation bombarbed with visual stimuli, it seems his canvases offer a meditative escape <\/p>\n
The works of Mark Rothko have never failed to split opinion. Were those vast colour field paintings a bold new direction for abstract art or simply fuel for the \u201cmy child could paint that\u201d brigade? To his detractors, Rothko\u2019s abstractions appear devoid of symbolism or discernible message. Yet he is currently undergoing an unexpected cultural reappraisal thanks to his adoption by the art lovers of gen Z.<\/p>\n
Across TikTok and Instagram, videos centred on Rothko\u2019s work are accumulating hundreds of thousands of views. One creator has begun styling outfits inspired by individual Rothko canvases<\/a>; another assigns Rothko works to personality archetypes, describing Untitled (Yellow and Blue) as a match for \u201csomeone who wakes up early, drinks citrus water and has their life together \u2013 or at least looks like it\u201d. Elsewhere, users compare his atmospheric palettes to the hazy melancholy of the Cocteau Twins \u2013 the dream pop band also undergoing a gen Z renaissance right now. As one young creator put it recently: \u201cDate idea: me, Rothko, and nobody saying \u2018I could have done these.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/484dcfba1556823505eb1c4a244ac9a53983e5a3\/448_0_4477_3582\/master\/4477.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3362f14569c7d6e625cf73b70c31e80f\" "\\"Let\u2019s")
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