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Doing what you were born to do … That’s the way to be happy.

Agnes Martin

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
The worst thing you can think about when you’re working is yourself.
AGNES MARTIN

Think Thinking Working Worst Yourself
You can’t make a perfect painting. We can see perfection in our minds. But we can’t make a perfect painting.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Mind Painting Perfect Perfection
You must find the things that you do like. The things that are acceptable to your mind.
AGNES MARTIN

Acceptable Find Mind Think Thinking
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
Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Emotion Feeling Representation Subtle
I paint with my back to the world
AGNES MARTIN

Back Paint World
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 not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.
AGNES MARTIN

Forever Mind Painting Perception Seen
The enormous pitfall is devotion to oneself instead of to life. All works that are self-devoted are absolutely ineffective.
AGNES MARTIN

Devotion Enormous Instead Life Oneself Pitfall Self
It’s through discipline and tremendous disappointment and failure that you arrive at what it is you must paint.
AGNES MARTIN

Arrive Disappointment Discipline Failure Must Paint Through
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
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.
AGNES MARTIN

Abstract Concrete Definition Expression Form Make Music Subtitle
That which takes us by surprise-moments of happiness-that is inspiration.
AGNES MARTIN

Art Happiness Inspiration Moment Surprise Take
I once taught art to adults in a night course. I had a woman who painted her back yard, and she said it was the first time she had ever really looked at it. I think everyone sees beauty. Art is a way to respond
AGNES MARTIN

Adult Art Course Night Once Taught Think Thinking
I used to meditate until I learned to stop thinking.
AGNES MARTIN

Learned Mediate Think Thinking Used

Doing what you were born to do … That’s the way to be happy.

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Doing what you were born to do … That’s the way to be happy.

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