Home / Authors / Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin Quotes

Artist

Agnes Martin was a Canadian-born American painter known for her minimalist abstract works. Her paintings are characterized by fine lines and serene tones, reflecting her spiritual philosophy and profound understanding of nature. Martin's artistic career spanned half a century, and her works have had a profound impact on contemporary art.

Filter quotes by topic

All Mind Art Thinking Painting Perfection Perfect Want Art Is Artwork Awareness

Famous Agnes Martin Quotes

“Beauty and happiness and life are all the same and they are pervasive, unattached and abstract and they are our only concern. They are immeasurable, completely lacking in substance. They are perfect and sublime. This is the subject matter of art.”

Art Matter Perfect Subjects Concern Substance Abstract Lacking Sublime Subject Matter Life And Happiness

Book:Schriften

Source: Schriften

“Inspiration is there all the time. For everyone whose mind is not clouded over with thoughts whether they realize it or not.”

Mind Inspiration Realizing Clouded

Book:Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

Source: Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

“It is commonly thought that everything that is can be put into words.”

Book:Writings

Source: Writings

“It's through discipline and tremendous disappointment and failure that you arrive at what it is you must paint.”

Discipline Paint Disappointment

Author:Agnes Martin

“I want to emphasize the fact that we all have the same experience and the same concern, but the artist must know exactly what the experience is. He must pursue the truth relentlessly. Once he sees this fact his feet are on the path. If you want to know the truth you will know it. The manipulation of materials in an artwork is a result of this state of mind. The artist works by awareness of his own state of mind.”

Ifs Knows Want Mind States Facts Artist Results Path Feet Awareness Materials Concern Pursue Manipulation State Of Mind Artwork

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

Want Ideas Painting Ideals Careful Favour Idealist

Author:Agnes Martin

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

Mind Known Forever Painting Perception

Author:Agnes Martin

“Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings.”

Art Feelings Emotion Art Is Subtle Concrete Representation

Author: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.”

Giving Mind Progress Giving Up Acceptable Progress In Life

Book:Schriften

Source: Schriften

“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.”

Mind States Joy House Adventure State Of Mind Joyful Adventurous Artwork Attractiveness

Author:Agnes Martin

“That which takes us by surprise-moments of happiness-that is inspiration.”

Art Moments Inspiration Surprise Moments Of Happiness

Book:Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

Source: Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

“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.”

Thinking World Kind Art Worry This World All Kinds Ran Ecstasy Terrific Pollock

Author:Agnes Martin

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

Mind Art Perfect Painting Perfection

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

Mind Art Made Facts Perfect Clear Painting Perfection Made It

Book:Agnès Martin: the nineties and beyond

Source: Agnès Martin: the nineties and beyond

“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.”

Thinking Mind Art Eye Beauty Mystery Awareness Perfection Mystery Of Life

Book:Agnes Martin: the islands

Source: Agnes Martin: the islands

“My paintings are certainly nonobjective. They're just horizontal lines. There's not any hint of nature. And still everybody responds, I think.”

Thinking Art Stills Lines Painting Hints Horizontal Horizontal Lines

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

Thinking Art Beauty Produce Capable Response Transcendent

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

People Thinking World Mind Realizing Beauty This World Perfection Response Mysterious Bad People Mysterious Things

Author:Agnes Martin

“The enormous pitfall is devotion to oneself instead of to life. All works that are self-devoted are absolutely ineffective.”

Self Oneself Enormous Devotion Devoted Pitfalls

Author:Agnes Martin

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

Thinking Worst Worst Things

Author:Agnes Martin

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

Author:Agnes Martin

“Doing what you were born to do … That's the way to be happy.”

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

Thinking Mind Firsts Made Stills Vision Happened Tree Satisfied Innocence Grids

Author:Agnes Martin

“It would be an endless battle if it were all up to ego because it does not destroy and is not destroyed by itself It is like a wave it makes itself up, it rushes forward getting nowhere really it crashes, 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”

Ifs Doe Would Be Together Pride Battle Ego Wave Endless Destroyed Frustration Resolution Repentance Imaginary Crash Towers Conquest Remorse

Book:Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

Source: Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

“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”

Thinking Way Firsts Art Said Night Courses Taught Art Is Adults First Time Yards

Author:Agnes Martin

“Anything can be painted without representation.”

Book:Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

Source: Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973

“Fulfill your potential. That's the way to happiness.”

Author:Agnes Martin

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

Book:Schriften

Source: Schriften

“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”

Knows May Used Artist Materials Concern Response Pursue Theme Artwork

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

Mind Art Memories Awareness Ideals Tradition Perfection Chinese Greek Representing Egyptian Eclectic Classical Art

Author:Agnes Martin

“I used to meditate until I learned to stop thinking.”

Author:Agnes Martin

“I often paint tranquility. If you stop thinking and rest, then a little happiness comes into your mind. At perfect rest you are comfortable.”

Ifs Thinking Mind Littles Perfect Comfortable Paint Tranquility

Author:Agnes Martin

“Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye, it is in the mind.”

Mind Eye Mystery Mystery Of Life

Book:Agnes Martin: the islands

Source: Agnes Martin: the islands

“It's not about facts, it's about feelings. It's about remembering feelings and happiness. 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.”

Thinking Art Facts Feelings Remember Happiness Form Emotion Expression Highest Art Is Definitions Abstract Subtle Concrete Art Expression

Author:Agnes Martin

“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.”

Want Moments Happiness Animal Unhappy Living Things

Book:Schriften

Source: Schriften

“There's nobody living who couldn't stand all afternoon in front of a waterfall .... Anyone who can sit on a stone in a field awhile can see my painting. Nature is like parting a curtain, you go into it .... as you would cross an empty beach to look at the ocean.”

Looks Nature Fronts Fields Painting Ocean Stones Crosses Empty Beach Afternoon Curtains Parting Waterfalls

Author:Agnes Martin

“When you look in your mind you find it covered with a lot of rubbishy thoughts. You have to penetrate these and hear what your mind is telling you to do. Such work is original work.”

Mind Looks Originals Covered Penetrate

Book:Writings

Source: Writings

“Of all the pitfalls in our paths and the tremendous delays and wanderings off the track, I want to say that they are not what they seem to be. I want to say that all that seems like fantastic mistakes are not mistakes, 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.”

Want Done Seems Next Mistake Steps Path Errors Track Wander Fantastic Delay Next Steps Pitfalls

Book:Schriften

Source: Schriften

“I paint with my back to the world”

Book:Agnès Martin: the nineties and beyond

Source: Agnès Martin: the nineties and beyond

About the Author

Born: March 22, 1912
Died: December 16, 2004
Known for: Artist
Quotes: 39

Related Topics

Mind Art Thinking Painting Perfection Perfect Want Art Is Artwork Awareness

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

SchriftenRelated source material

Agnes Martin: Exhibition January 22 to March 1, 1973Related source material

Agnes Martin: the islandsRelated source material

Agnès Martin: the nineties and beyondRelated source material

WritingsRelated source material

Similar Authors

Gerhard RichterBrowse related quotes
Walter Darby BannardBrowse related quotes
Robert MotherwellBrowse related quotes
Georges BraqueBrowse related quotes
Georg BaselitzBrowse related quotes
Pablo PicassoBrowse related quotes
Damien HirstBrowse related quotes
Pat SteirBrowse related quotes
Kehinde WileyBrowse related quotes
Jerry SaltzBrowse related quotes