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    To say that it does is to say that just because Gustave...

    Mark Rothko's art is valid and genius.

    I would like to thank my opponent for taking on this debate as it is not one easily disputed, requiring at least a modest understanding of Rothko's art and the field in general. I will now begin my argument. My opponent has stated that I must not single out "one or two gems" and I will not, nor was this my intention. There are many things I could argue, Rothko's fame is intrinsically a testament to his genius as a painter; maybe I could go with the monetary value of his paintings, speaking that since they are worth very large sums of money they must be valuable and genius. I will, however, take neither of these routes. My opponent has stated repeatedly that his nephew has created works "just like" Rothko's. While I highly doubt that his nephew had access to oil paints and a fine canvas, that is beside the point; my opponent has argued that because of his ability to create a similar work his nephew's talent is comparable and equivalent to Rothko's. Now many people can produce fakes, a Swiss collector Ernst Beyeler called a fake Rothko from Queens a "sublime unknown masterwork" in 2005 and hung it in his namesake museum. The reproducibility has little to nothing to do with the art's value as a whole. To say that it does is to say that just because Gustave Eiffel designed a world renowned tower his work is not genius because his nephew at a later age could do the same thing after seeing the tower. My opponent has also stated that "the works are not particularly well-suited to their purpose, presuming the purposes of art are to be adored, to make people think, to create emotions within people, etc." This could not be farther from the truth, as his works have been honored in many forms, including a six Tony award winning play (including best play) titled "Red." I have seen people brought to tears by his works and while my personal testimony holds little weight, the fact that hundreds of thousands of people visit and admire his works each year definitely does. To close I would like to state that the simplicity of his art and its ability to bring about such strong reactions in people is simple proof of his genius. To say that the art is not genius is to state a personal opinion. While your opinion is ignorant and unpopular it is your right to hold it. I would advise caution expressing it in the future, as a spot on your refrigerator may be worth eighty million dollars to someone else. http://www.nytimes.com... http://en.wikipedia.org... http://en.wikipedia.org... http://www.markrothko.org...