After World War II, the center of world art shifted from Europe to the United States. As an important modern art school in the United States, Abstract Expressionism is divided into "action painting" and "color field painting". Mark Rothko is one of the representatives of "color field painting". This article explores the evolution and characteristics of Rothko's paintings. He emphasized that artists should express the most basic human emotions, tragic fate and transcendent experiences. These are the core ideas of color field painting. Abstract forms best convey these spiritual meanings, and the works convey spiritual and religious experiences to the viewer. Rothko believed that the participation of the viewer completes the meaning of the work. This article is divided into four parts: first, sorting out the connection and distinction between color field painting and abstract expressionism; second, analyzing the characteristics of Rothko's transformation period; third, analyzing the characteristic elements and concepts of Rothko's color field painting; fourth, exploring its influence in China development and application.In short, Rothko's color field paintings have become a typical abstract artistic expression with a spiritual core. The reasons and driving forces need to be examined from the perspective of contemporary visual culture theory.

Li Wenchao, Jiang Xiaodiu. The spirituality of Rothko's paintings and its extension. Frontiers in Art Research (2024) Vol. 6, Issue 8: 36-39. https://doi.org/10.25236/FAR.2024.060807.

[1] Kandinsky, 2003, 7,"spirit in art". ISBN7-300-04890-0.China Renmin University Press.

[2] Jacob Baal-Teshuva, 2003, Mark Rothko.1903-1970: Pictures as Drama, TASCHEN.

[3] Clement Greenberg, 2015, 9,"Arts and Culture". ISBN978-7-5495-6411-8. Guangxi Normal University Press.

[4] William C, 1983, Seitz: Abstract Expressionist Painting in America, Havard University Press.