The man who spraypainted a Mark Rothko painting at London's Tate Modern Art Gallery has denied that his act was one of vandalism. 26 year-old Vladimir Umanets was arrested last night (October 8, 2012) and has taken responsibility for the words "Vladimir Umanets, A Potential Piece of Yellowism" which he'd written in the bottom right corner of Rothko's painting.

"Some people think I'm crazy or a vandal, but my intention was not to destroy or decrease the value, or to go crazy. I am not a vandal" insisted Umanets. He described the term 'Yellowism', explaining that "it is not art, and Yellowish isn't anti-art." He added "It's an element of contemporary visual culture. It's not an artistic movement. It's not art, it's not reality, it's just Yellowism. It can't be presented in a gallery of art, it can be presented only in Yellowistic chambers."

Furthering his cause, he enthused "I am a Yellowist. I believe what I am doing and I want people to start talking about this. It was like a platform. I don't need to be famous, I don't want money, I don't want fame, I'm not seeking attention. Maybe I would like to point people's attention on what it's all about. What is Yellowism? What is art?" Insisting that his motives were, he also suggested people might start to see it from his angle, theorising "No one is realising what actually happened, everyone is just posting that the piece has been damaged or destroyed or defaced. But I believe that after a few years they will start looking for it from the right angle. So that's why I did it."