rothko's reason

i have been reading (periodically) the artist's reality by mark rothko and while there are definitely some difficult concepts discussed most have to do with verbage than concept. the manuscript was written while rothko was still working through surrealistic tendencies but it lays the groundwork for his more fulfilling and honest fields.
while reading it yesterday i was struck by this passage..."They [Renaissance artists] must study the organic construction of all the objects which they portray in order to mirror them properly. This approach displays the ultimate faith in appearances. It implies that the artist, in addition to portraying external appearances, can depending on his skills, also portray internal truths by noting and depicting the profound subtleties of those external appearances. So far so good."
While this statement is offered in his discussion of beauty, it strikes me that it has little to do with beauty at all. Instead it has to do with experience. and this experience (both consumer and creator) is the only thing that can move you. It isn't about truth at all, but movement.