Quotes by Agnes Martin

About Agnes Martin:

Agnes Bernice Martin was an American abstract painter. Often referred to as a minimalist, Martin considered herself an abstract expressionist. She was awarded a National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1998.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.

Agnes Martin

The main thing in making art often is letting go of your expectation and your idea.

Agnes Martin

The value of art is in the observer.

Agnes Martin

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

My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.

Agnes Martin

I'm very careful not to have ideas, because they're inaccurate.

Agnes Martin

I think everyone is born 100 percent ego, and after that it's just adjustment.

Agnes Martin

One thing I like about Zen. It doesn't believe in achievement.

Agnes Martin

I don't think the way to succeed is by doing something aggressive. Aggression is weak-minded.

Agnes Martin

When I first made a grid, I happened to be thinking of the innocence of trees, and then a 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

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

Agnes Martin

You can't make a perfect painting. We can see perfection in our minds. But we can't make a perfect painting.

Agnes Martin

The worst thing you can think about when you're working is yourself.

Agnes Martin

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

The Minimalists are idealist. They want to minimize themselves in favor of the ideal... But I just can't. You see, my paintings are not cool.

Agnes Martin

Happiness is being on the beam with life - to feel the pull of life.

Agnes Martin

People who look at my painting say that it makes them happy, like the feeling when you wake up in the morning. And happiness is the goal, isn't it?

Agnes Martin

To progress in life you must give up the things you do not like. Give up doing the things that you do not like to do. You must find the things that you do like. The things that are acceptable to your mind.

Agnes Martin

Artwork is a representation of our devotion to life.

Agnes Martin

Author Bio

  • NameAgnes Martin
  • DescriptionAmerican artist
  • BornMarch 22, 1912
  • DiedDecember 16, 2004
  • CountryCanada; United States Of America
  • ProfessionPainter
  • AwardsNational Medal Of Arts