The comparison of color field approaches of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman in abstract expressive art

In the present thesis, the Color Field approaches used by Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman in his paintings have been compared. Literature survey method was used as research method. Domestic and foreign literature were classified and arranged chronologically, and also artist biographies and examples related to their own works were presented. The artworks and philosophy created by Mark Rothko and Barnet Newman's Approaches to Color Field, which are the main theme of the present study, have been examined comparatively in the context of place in the natural flow of general art history and based on the artist's own expressions and the statements of art critics in that period. It is known that one of the most important centers of art movements in the 20th century is New York. The city has a rich art archive with its museums, paintings, private collections and art galleries. New York is a cosmopolitan metropolis bearing the traces of different cultures inhabited intensively by immigrants. These deep and rich traces were also available for Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. In the first part, the purpose, importance, scope and method of the research were mentioned. In the second part, the literature search on artists and the formation of the Abstract Expressionism Movement was included. In this thesis, in which the points of origin and the mutual examination of the Mark Rothko's and Barnett Newman's works, the pioneers of the Color Field, formed in the Abstract Expressionism Movement were discussed, firstly the definition and formation process of Abstract Expressionism Movement and the art scene in the United States after World War II was mentioned. It was also aimed to reveal how did Color Field play role in the New York art scene and shapes the art of 20th century. Artists who have lost their beliefs against the world and suffer a severe trauma in their inner world with the stress of World War II emerged a radical trend that reflects their own mythical worlds and their physical movements, ignoring the formative structure that exists in the world. Thus, new styles such as Color Field and Action Picture were formed in the abstract expressionist movement. In the last part of the thesis, comparisons between Barnett Newman's and Mark Rothko's works in the context of Color Field were made, and accordingly conclusions and recommendations were presented.