Mark Rothko
“His concern about control of environment would manifest itself in so many ways, and was so repetitious, it almost amounted to a fix, a psychological fix. We would spend hours raising and lowing pictures so they were three inches above the floor as opposed to four inches, as opposed to six inches, and every day he would change his mind about the height from floor to ceiling at which they were most totally effective. This was absolute involvement. Even after he finished the paintings he considered what optimum position they could be placed in to control and create that environment. Quite an extraordinary man. I have never known anyone before or since that totally understood that particular kind of role that the painting plays.”
- Dan Rice (Rothko’s assistant)
