Mark Rice-Ko: Where Food and Rothko Meet In Delicious Harmony

• 
  Hide caption

  Chef/stylist Caitlin Levin and photographer Henry Hargreaves do an interpretation of Mark Rothko's paintings using colored rice. Left, Levin's design, right, the original painting titled White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) by Mark Rothko as seen at Sotheby's auction house in New York.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves/Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images
• 
  Hide caption

  One of Levin's greatest challenge is mixing food colors to match Rothko's original work. This image displays the food color palette used to dye the rice.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves
• 
  Hide caption

  Getting the edges to feather as seen in Rothko's original work was a challenge for Levin.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves
• 
  Hide caption

  Levin worked on a project about gradient food dye using several kinds of foods like bananas and rice. It is during this time where she and photographer Henry Hargreaves came up with the idea of doing an interpretation of some of Mark Rothko's paintings using rice.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves
• 
  Hide caption

  It took Levin and Hargreaves anywhere between 2 to 3 hours to complete each piece of rice art.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves
• 
  Hide caption

  Molds were used to shape the different sized rectangles and to keep separate the colored rice.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves
• 
  Hide caption

  The outcome of her work: Levin now owns many Ziploc bags filled with colored rice, about two 25 pound bags, which she plans to use for cooking meals with friends.

  Previous Next
  Henry Hargreaves

1 of 7

View slideshow i

Back in 1958, when Mark Rothko was commissioned to do a series of murals for The Four Seasons restaurant in New York a place he believed was "where the richest bastards in New York will come to feed and show off" his acceptance of the assignment was subversive at best. He hoped his art would "ruin the appetite of every son of a [beep] who ever eats in that room," according to a Harper's magazine article, "Mark Rothko: Portrait Of The Artist As An Angry Man."

His distaste for the social elite led to a series of paintings that continue to captivate art enthusiasts of different backgrounds, tastes and generations. His painting, Orange, Red, Yellow 1961, sold on May 8 this year for $86.9 million at Christie's.

Rothko eventually abandoned The Four Seasons project. Instead, he gave some of the pieces to the Tate Modern museum in 1969, just before committing suicide.

Enlarge image

"We do these projects out of love for creating beautiful or interesting work out of a medium that is unexpected," Levin says.

"We do these projects out of love for creating beautiful or interesting work out of a medium that is unexpected," Levin says.

But the murals that were meant to ruin the appetite of wealthy patrons inspired chef/stylist Caitlin Levin and photographer Henry Hargreaves to interpret Rothko's collection using rice.

"We had been doing a project about gradient food dye using several kinds of food like bananas, bread and rice and we thought, how about using rice to recreate Rothko's paintings?" says Levin. Although dyeing rice is time consuming, Levin said it is an easier medium to work with than other foods when recreating the depth of color found in Rothko's pieces.

After coloring, styling and photographing the rice, chef and food stylist Caitlin Levin made coconut rice. "It taste the same," she says.

This collaboration between Hargreaves and Levin took three days to complete, each piece taking two to three hours. Levin said her two greatest challenges were mixing the food colors to match Rothko's original work and to feather the edges of the rice art as seen on the paintings.

After Mark Rice-Ko was completed, the colorful rice faced a new fate, "We made coconut rice with it. It turned an Army green color but it tastes the same," Levin says of the dyed leftovers.

Check out the slide show above to view more of Levin/Hargreaves' rice art.

---

Dining in Santa Monica Shutters on the Beach - Living Room ... Panoramic views of the ocean and an incredible art collection make the Living Room at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica the ideal place to hang out. Enjoy light ... January 2006, Issue 81 - Sir Read A Lot Reviews Books January 2006, Issue 81 Guide to This Issue. Issue Contents: Seeing Rothko, Irving Fine: An American Composer, Coming Home to Myself, How the Rich and Powerful Shape ... The Phillips Collection - Dupont Circle - Washington, DC (202) 387-2151 "This is my favorite museum in the city, why? Because it's home (in my opinion) to the most famous painting in DC - Renior's Luncheon of the Boating ... Topic Galleries -- chicagotribune.com Topic galleries provide easy access to stories and photos about people, places, organizations, events and subjects of interest to you. They bring together rich ... Mansion Guest Experiences Mansion on O Street Reviews Dear O Mansion Family! Thank you SO very much for the blessing of a fortnight in your magical mystical museum! Warmly, Esperanza Quotes that leave a mark..... - Umer Pasha - Official Website Wit is often a mask. If you tear it you will find either genius irritated or cleverness juggling. - Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam . Better never to have met you Museumist A site for people who love Museums. ... To create a forum for debate, discussion, and the display of all things museum-related. Canopy - Montrose - Houston Urbanspoon Canopy, American Restaurant in Montrose. See the menu, 11 photos, 2 critic reviews, 1 blog post and 27 user reviews. Reviews from critics, food blogs and ... Slate Magazine - Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts ... Today's Doonesbury By Garry Trudeau. The Explainer Answers to your questions about the news. The 2012 Campaign Slate's complete coverage of the election. PORT Search Results from PORT: portlandart.net. Pre-Thanksgiving Goodies. Carson Ellis @ Nationale Nationale opens this Saturday with a series of new works on paper by ...