black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

My paintings are certainly nonobjective. They’re just horizontal lines.

Agnes Martin

The Minimalists are idealist. They want to minimise themselves in favour of the ideal. But I just can’t. You see, my paintings are not cool.
AGNES MARTIN

Favour Idea Idealist Minimalist Minimise Themselves Want
Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Emotion Feeling Representation Subtle
Give up doing the things that you do not like to do.
AGNES MARTIN

Do Doing Give Like Thing
When you look in your mind you find it covered with a lot of rubbishy thoughts.
AGNES MARTIN

Covered Look Looking Mind Rubbishy Thought
I often paint tranquility. If you stop thinking and rest, then a little happiness comes into your mind. At perfect rest you are comfortable.
AGNES MARTIN

Happiness Mind Often Paint Perfect Stop Think Thinking Tranquility
One must see the ideal in one’s own mind. It is like a memory – an awareness -of perfection.
AGNES MARTIN

Awareness Idea Memory Mind Musit One Own Perfection
Doing what you were born to do … That’s the way to be happy.
AGNES MARTIN

Born Doing Happy Way
The artist works by awareness of his own state of mind.
AGNES MARTIN

Artist Awareness Mind Own State Work
You have to penetrate these and hear what your mind is telling you to do. Such work is original work.
AGNES MARTIN

Hear Mind Original Penetrate Telling Work
We all have the same concern, but the artist must know exactly what the experience is. He must pursue the truth relentlessly
AGNES MARTIN

Concern Exactly Experience Pursue Relentlessly Same Truth
When I first made a grid I happened to be thinking of the innocence of trees and then this grid came into my mind and I thought it represented innocence, and I still do, and so I painted it and then I was satisfied. I thought, this is my vision.
AGNES MARTIN

First Grid Happenedm Innocense Made Mind Satisfy Think Thinking Tree
The manipulation of materials in an artwork is a result of this state of mind.
AGNES MARTIN

Artwork Manipulation Material Mind Result State
Withdraws and makes itself up again pulls itself together with pride towers with pride rushes forward into imaginary conquest crashes in frustration withdraws with remorse and repentance pulls itself together with new resolution
AGNES MARTIN

Conquer Crashes Forward Make Pride Pull Repentance Tower Withdrawl
I hope I have made it clear that the work is about perfection as we are aware of it in our minds but that the paintings are very far from being perfect – completely removed in fact – even as we ourselves are.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Aware Hope Made Mind Ourself Perfect Perfection
I’m very careful not to have ideas, because they’re inaccurate.
AGNES MARTIN

Careful Idea Inaccurate
I would like my work to be recognized as being in the classical tradition (Coptic, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese), as representing the Ideal in the mind. Classical art cannot possibly be eclectic.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Classical Memories Perfection Tradition

My paintings are certainly nonobjective. They’re just horizontal lines.

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My paintings are certainly nonobjective. They’re just horizontal lines.

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