Rothko would take his Color Field style just as far as it could reasonably go, trying out hundreds of different combinations over a period of several decades. He would alter colour most of all, but also try out different arrangements of these lozenge shapes. Some would be busier than others, and also have a greater contrast of tone than found here within Black over Reds. The success achieved by the artist has ensured that his paintings have now been dispersed across a great number of different collections, eventually spreading abroad to please a growing international following. The huge size of many of these artworks makes it hard for a single institution to display many of them together at the same time, so perhaps it is a good thing that they have spread across th world. This also has the added benefit of spreading the artist's own reputation and allowing more people to see his work in person, which is entirely necessary for those looking to experience the size and drama of his work, rather than simply looking at small pictures of them instead.
Rothko played an important role in helping the US to lead the art world, something which had never happened before. It was now this country which was putting out the new and exciting ideas, innovating and encouraging others to follow. This marked an important moment in the cultural heritage of this relatively young country, which had previously been following European ideas and clinging to its past. Since the achievements of Rothko, Pollock and the like, the US has continued to strengthen its influence and also now boasts many of the finest art collections in the world, helping younger generations to continue to learn in the future. This change would take many centuries to finish, but there were certain moments and contributors who helped to speed up the change, and the likes of Rothko were examples of that, even though many of them actually had historical routes to Europe themselves via family ties. Today we might argue that the international art scene is now even more varied and spread right across the world, with modern media allowing anyone to potentially get involved.
The artist would continue to use tones of red within a number of his paintings and it would be one of his most used colours. Other examples would include No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue), Untitled (Rothko), Orange, Red, Yellow and also Orange and Yellow, with other bright tones also appearing within that selection. He would take his fields of colour to all manner of different variations, and whilst others would work in a similar manner, none of them would achieve the success that he would. Rothko therefore became the figurehead of the group, and also a mjaor influence within the overall umbrella of American contemporary art, which continues to flourish today in all manner of different and exciting ways. The artist also represents how new ideas can come up against resistance initially, before later being welcomed into the mainstream over the passage of time.
