Mark Rothko is recognized as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and, during his lifetime, was presented as a leading figure in post-war American painting. He is one of the leading figures of abstract expressionism and one of the creators of Color Field Painting. Thanks to his highly talented contribution and ability to deliver exceptional works on canvas, one of his final projects, the Rothko Chapel gifted to him by Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil, would ultimately anchor his name in the world of art and in history. Without one of the three, the man, the work on canvas or the dream, the Rothko Chapel could never have existed for the artist's conceptualization, the creations on canvas and the architectural dynamics are what makes the Rothko Chapel a brilliant product.Mark Rothko, born as Marcus Rothkowitz, was born on September 25, 1903 in Gvinsk, Russia and, at the age of ten, had emigrated to the United States with his parents. He attended Yale University in the early 1920s, but never completed his formal education there. In 1925, he entered the Art Students League of New York where he began painting under the direction of Max Weber. Although he studied under Max Weber, he still considered himself a self-taught painter. In the 1930s and 1940s he went through phases influenced by expressionism and surrealism, but from around 1947 he began to develop his own distinctive style for which he is known today. Critics called Mark Rothko an abstract expressionist, but he defiantly defended this association among his peers because he did not want to be known for a certain style. When Rothko began painting, his work was more symbolic than...... middle of paper ....... For some, it is a place that contains fourteen large paintings that represent darkness, mystery and contemplation and for others a place where one can question oneself and question one's own existence. Rothko achieved his goal and without one of the three, the man, the dream or the work on canvas, the Rothko Chapel could never have existed. The artist's conceptualization, architectural dynamics and creations on canvas are what made the Rothko Chapel, after forty years of existence, a product of magnificence.Works CitedChilvers, Ian. Dictionary of art and artists. Kent, England: Grange, 2005. Hess, Barbara. Abstract Expressionism. Taschen. 2005.López-Ramiro, Miguel. Writings on art: Mark Rothko. Nodleman, Sheldon. The Rothko Chapel paintings: origins, structure, meaning. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1997.