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When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.

Agnes Martin

You must find the things that you do like. The things that are acceptable to your mind.
AGNES MARTIN

Acceptable Find Mind Think Thinking
There’s not any hint of nature. And still everybody responds, I think.
AGNES MARTIN

Everybody Hint Nature Respond Think
The adventurous state of mind is a high house… The joy of adventure is unaccountable.
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Adventure High House Joy Mind State
It is commonly thought that everything that is can be put into words.
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Commonly Everything Put Thought Word
Nature is like parting a curtain, you go into it …. as you would cross an empty beach to look at the ocean.
AGNES MARTIN

Beach Cross Curtain Empty Look Nature Ocean Painting
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
To progress in life you must give up the things you do not like.
AGNES MARTIN

Giving Life Like Mind Progress Thing Up
When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Awareness Beauty Eye Life Mystery Perfection Think
A definition of art is that it makes concrete our most subtle emotions. I think the highest form of art is music. It’s the most abstract of all art expression.
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Abstract Concrete Definition Expression Form Make Music Subtitle
They are immeasurable, completely lacking in substance. They are perfect and sublime. This is the subject matter of art.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Completely Lacking Memory Perfect Subject Sublime Substance
I’m very careful not to have ideas, because they’re inaccurate.
AGNES MARTIN

Careful Idea Inaccurate
You can’t make a perfect painting. We can see perfection in our minds. But we can’t make a perfect painting.
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Art Mind Painting Perfect Perfection
Pollock was terrific. I think he freed himself of all kinds of worry about this world. Ran around and dripped, and then he managed to express ecstasy.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Himself Kind Pollock Terrific Think Thinking Worry
The enormous pitfall is devotion to oneself instead of to life. All works that are self-devoted are absolutely ineffective.
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Devotion Enormous Instead Life Oneself Pitfall Self
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.
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Art Classical Memories Perfection Tradition
Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.
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Art Emotion Feeling Representation Subtle
What we really want to do is serve happiness. We want everyone to be happy, never unhappy even for a moment. We want the animals to be happy.
AGNES MARTIN

Animal Everyone Happiness Really Serve Unhappy Wanted
What I say is that we’re capable of a transcendent response, and I think it makes us happy. And I do think beauty produces a transcendent response.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Beauty Capable Happy Make Response Thinking Transcendent Transendemt
I often paint tranquility. If you stop thinking and rest, then a little happiness comes into your mind. At perfect rest you are comfortable.
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Happiness Mind Often Paint Perfect Stop Think Thinking Tranquility
The manipulation of materials in an artwork is a result of this state of mind.
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Artwork Manipulation Material Mind Result State
All that seems like error is not error; and it all has to be done. That which seems like a false step is the next step.
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Done Error False Next Seem Step
When you look in your mind you find it covered with a lot of rubbishy thoughts.
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Covered Look Looking Mind Rubbishy Thought
I think everyone sees beauty. Art is a way to respond
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Art Beauty Everyone Respond See Way
We all have the same concern, but the artist must know exactly what the experience is. He must pursue the truth relentlessly
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Concern Exactly Experience Pursue Relentlessly Same Truth
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
Beauty and happiness and life are all the same and they are pervasive, unattached and abstract and they are our only concern.
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Abstract Art Beauty Happiness Perfect Pervasive Sublime Unattached
The worst thing you can think about when you’re working is yourself.
AGNES MARTIN

Think Thinking Working Worst Yourself

When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.

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When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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