Debate

Q. Did the person who defaced the Rothko work add to the work or disgrace the artist?

"Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism."

It's easy to view this as a thoughtless act of vandalism but after a bit of research on Vladimir Umanets, it is clear that he had purpose and reasoning behind his bold statement. He is part of a collective known as Yellowism. They believe that it is not an art movement but rather a 'new context in a contemporary world'.

Manifesto of Yellowism

In my opinion I think that Umanets is breaking all the rules and has created a new context, almost a recycling approach to old, exhausted art work. Like artist before him, such as Duchamp's urinal, he has simple put a signature onto something that isn't his and by doing so, created a whirlwind of controversy. His radical act has made the public uncomfortable by questioning peoples idea of what makes art valuable i.e. the context, the craft or maybe just the artist signature. 

I feel he has taken something that we have already gotten an educational value  from and added new thought and ideas. By ignoring the money aspect, propelling our thinking of a possible new context that could thrive in the future art world.

BBC Article