Mark Rothko show

After meeting up with Fiona last week at LSE, we had made plans to see the Rothko show this afternoon. When she left Lloyds in the late Spring, her leaving present was a membership of the Tate Modern, so she could take me to the show for free. So after a morning at LSE, I wandered down along the Victoria Embankment passed the old offices of Smith & Nephew where I worked for four years and across Blackfriars bridge. Fiona and I met in the bookshop where I was trying to select a suitable Rothko book - the show collection not being the best I thought. Fiona acquired one of the sets of headphones that the Tate give out and, sure enough, I didn't have to pay.

Like Jackson Pollock, who was the subject of a major show a few years back that I went to, Rothko's pictures really have to be seen directly rather than reproduced. It is always a surprise to find out how big they are, yet at the same time to see how multi-layered the paint it. It is not something that is just slapped on!

The reviews of this show have generally been very favorable, seeking to counter the scepticism of those who are unimpressed by such seemingly straightforward pictures. But some of the success of shows like this is clearly linked to Rothko himself. His emphasis on the way his pictures were to be seen together is pretty unique among artists. And focusing on the meditative aspects of his work is very effective too

The main room of the show is extraordinary. Around a dozen of the Seagram murals in one room - the effect is breathtaking. I found myself frequently glancing up from the single picture I happened to be viewing and see three or four stretched out along a wall - quite magnificent.

But the highlight for me in some respects was the room containing a whole series of photographs taken in UV light of one of the pictures. These showed the incredibly intricate detail of the layers of paint - what gives the colour fields the hazy borders they all have (rather than a strongly demarcated line that you might think they would have. I would really like to have some prints of these pictures!

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the grey and black pictures from just before his death are symptomatic of his depression. These are much faster works and, in my mind, not so powerful as the reds and maroons.

As Fiona had listened to the show on the headset, we didn't really chat at all as we walked round - I think this probably was an advantage as I would probably have found it a little distracting otherwise. So we had a drink together in the member's bar which has a superb view across the river towards St Pauls. Fiona is just coming to the end of a six month period of not working and seems to have had an excellent time away from it all. And if I hadn't met Fiona in the summer, I would never have found out about the rich selections of TV shows that can be found on the internet awaiting download. This has had a major impact on our viewing habits!