Agnes Martin Professions : Artist Born : March 22, 1912 Died : December 16, 2004 Browse All Authors Top 48 quotes by Agnes Martin The adventurous state of mind is a high house... The joy of adventure is unaccountable. This is the attractiveness of artwork. It is adventurous, strenuous and joyful. Agnes Martin house joy adventure The enormous pitfall is devotion to oneself instead of to life. All works that are self-devoted are absolutely ineffective. Agnes Martin pitfalls devotion self Anything can be painted without representation. Agnes Martin representation The worst thing you can think about when you're working is yourself. Agnes Martin worst-things worst thinking I paint with my back to the world Agnes Martin paint world Happiness is being on the beam with life - to feel the pull of life Agnes Martin beam feels It is commonly thought that everything that is can be put into words. Agnes Martin My paintings are certainly nonobjective. They're just horizontal lines. There's not any hint of nature. And still everybody responds, I think. Agnes Martin hints art thinking Fulfill your potential. That's the way to happiness. Agnes Martin way I used to meditate until I learned to stop thinking. Agnes Martin used thinking I think our minds respond to things beyond this world. Take beauty: it's a very mysterious thing, isn't it? I think it's a response in our minds to perfection. It's too bad, people not realizing that their minds expand beyond this world. Agnes Martin mysterious-things beauty thinking Any material may be used but the theme is the same and the response is the same for all artwork... we all have the same concern, but the artist must know exactly what the experience is. He must pursue the truth relentlessly Agnes Martin theme artist may 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. One must see the ideal in one's own mind. It is like a memory - an awareness -of perfection. Agnes Martin perfection memories art 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 perfect mind art 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 beauty art thinking 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. ... I'm very careful not to have ideas, because they're inaccurate. Agnes Martin favour want ideas 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. The happiness of every living thing is what we want. Agnes Martin unhappy animal happiness You can't make a perfect painting. We can see perfection in our minds. But we can't make a perfect painting. Agnes Martin perfect mind art 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 worry art thinking Artwork is a representation of our devotion to life. Agnes Martin our representation devotion life Similar Authors Burton Silverman artist Bruce Nauman artist Bruce Conner artist Brom artist Britney Spears artist Brigid Berlin artist All Authors
