portrait of the artist
The conscious mind is awareness of the sublime and it tells us what to do by showing us when we are off the track.
Obedience to the conscious mind carries us forward to greater
awareness.
Disobedience of the conscious mind carries us backward to less
awareness.
With more accurate obedience we become rapidly more aware of the sublime: of beauty and happi... See more
Obedience to the conscious mind carries us forward to greater
awareness.
Disobedience of the conscious mind carries us backward to less
awareness.
With more accurate obedience we become rapidly more aware of the sublime: of beauty and happi... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 112
You must discover the art work that you like and realize the response that you make to it. You must especially know the response that you make to your own work. It is in this way that you discover your direction and the truth about yourself. If you do not discover your response to your own work you miss the reward. You must look at the work and kno... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 154
There is one great difference from man to man that I must mention. It is a difference in willingness to perform his function.
We, each of us, is born to a certain function. Sometimes our function is hidden from us by prejudice and fear. When an artist becomes aware of his exact function, that is when he knows, suddenly, exactly what he will do and h... See more
We, each of us, is born to a certain function. Sometimes our function is hidden from us by prejudice and fear. When an artist becomes aware of his exact function, that is when he knows, suddenly, exactly what he will do and h... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 97
Living by inspiration is living. Living by intellect—by comparisons, calculations, schemes, concepts, ideas—is all a structure of pride in which there is not beauty or happiness—no life.
The intellectual is in fact death.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 137-8
In the night inspiration falls on the world like rain and penetrates our minds when we are asleep.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 118
To live and work by inspiration you have to stop thinking.
You have to hold your mind still in order to hear inspiration clearly.
You have to hold your mind still in order to hear inspiration clearly.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 137
We all believe in life.
We feel a certain devotion.
We feel called upon to live as good a life as we can.
We feel that we are in the dark and that even in darkness we must struggle to know what is best to do.
Not altogether but each one every moment.
We feel that we should not live in just the same way as our ancestors lived. We feel that we should take... See more
We feel a certain devotion.
We feel called upon to live as good a life as we can.
We feel that we are in the dark and that even in darkness we must struggle to know what is best to do.
Not altogether but each one every moment.
We feel that we should not live in just the same way as our ancestors lived. We feel that we should take... See more
Agnes Martin, Writings, 111
At every moment we are helpless and defeated and at every moment we are commanded forward by inspiration.
There is no choice while we are on the true path.
There is no choice while we are on the true path.
Agnes Martin, Writings, 116
When I have a piece of writing in mind, what I have, in fact, is a mental bucket: an attractor for and generator of thought. It’s like a thematic gravity well, a magnet for what would otherwise be a mess of iron filings. I’ll read books differently and listen differently in conversations. In particular I’ll remember everything better; everything wi
... See more