Acclaimed for founding Abstract Expressionism, Mark Rothko (1903-1970), was a Russian immigrant and a preeminent artist of his generation. His insatiable scholarly quest and his fascination with concepts of mortality and spirituality deeply influenced his art. Rothko’s tendency to place the darkest shades of his spare palette at the top of his oversized canvases was meant to symbolize the mental depression that plagued him, yet his late period obsession was dominated by color, adventure and passion.