Rothko

I am troubled by the recent vandalism done to a work of art. I am talking about the Rothko.

The perpetrator and his "manifesto" is of no interest to me. And I am not particularly interested either in the commercial value of the painting (some examples have sold for £50 million).

To me, fine art represents one aspect of the breathtaking virtue of humanity. It is not the only one of course, and it does not compete perhaps with acts of charity or science or the love and nurture of your fellow beings or even philosophy, but to create a work of art is to get at the core of what it means to be human.

Quite simply, to deface a true work of art is to deface humanity.

I am quite conservative when it comes to art. I don't like or care for a lot of stuff that masquerades as art and I marvel at the absurdity of supposedly intelligent people who think that a pickled shark has any value whatsoever.

But Rothko is art. At least, I think it is and certainly I experience it as such but this is where it gets difficult. I could try and describe the experience, but it wouldn't help you. It's so deeply personal that I might as well attempt to explain God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.