The breakthrough: Grids and lines

It was in New York City that Martin first began developing her signature style, characterised by the use of grids and lines drawn meticulously on large-scale canvases.

In 1958, Martin created Friendship, a breakthrough piece that marked the advent of her mature style. The work featured gold leaf applied to a canvas in a grid pattern, epitomising the fusion of order and luminosity that would become emblematic of her oeuvre.

Agnes Martin’s painting technique was an intricate dance between meticulous precision and nuanced spontaneity.  Her canvases, often characterised by delicate pencil lines and soft, muted colors, appeared deceptively simple at first glance. However, upon closer examination, the meticulousness of her process become apparent. Martin’s method involved gridding the canvas with faint pencil lines, creating a subtle framework to guide her compositions. These grids allowed her to maintain a sense of order and symmetry while executing her compositions.

Within these subtle boundaries, Martin’s strokes of paint radiated a remarkable sense of freedom. Her technique was characterised by this harmonious marriage of control and spontaneity. She often used thin washes of paint, allowing the colours to interact and blend in ethereal ways. The result was a canvas that seemed to breathe and vibrate with a unique sense of life.

Throughout the 1960s, Martin continued to refine her minimalist aesthetic, creating a series of works featuring subtle variations in colour, line, and scale. Her paintings, such as The Islands (1961) and The Tree’ (1964), garnered critical acclaim and were featured in prominent exhibitions, solidifying her reputation as an influential figure in the American art world.

In 1967, following a decade of artistic success, Martin abruptly abandoned the art world, leaving New York City for an 18-month hiatus. This self-imposed retreat saw her travel across the United States and Canada, before eventually returning to her beloved Taos in New Mexico. Previously diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, she long struggled with her mental health and during this time questioned her artistic pursuits, seeking solace in solitude and introspection.

Happiness: Martin’s artistic philosophy

Far from being devoid of emotion, Martin’s paintings were imbued with a profound spirituality, inviting the viewer to engage with them on a deeply personal level.

“Nature is like parting a curtain, you go into it. I want to draw a certain response like this … that quality of response from people when they leave themselves behind, often experienced in nature, an experience of simple joy … My paintings are about merging, about formlessness … A world without objects, without interruption.”

Martin believed that her art should surpass the superficiality of the material world, aspiring to give form to universal truths and emotions. Embracing the wisdom of Zen Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, she strove to manifest the core facets of beauty, nature, happiness, and love within her creations.

Evident in her work, titles like Happy Holiday (1999) and I Love the Whole World (2000) resonated with positivity, reflecting her intention to channel these uplifting sentiments into her art. In a candid 1989 interview, Martin encapsulated her life and artistic ethos, stating, “Beauty and perfection are the same. They never occur without happiness.” This assertion underscored her belief in the intrinsic connection between profound beauty and the inherent joy that accompanies it.

Exhibitions and accolades

Agnes Martin’s artistic journey was punctuated by a series of notable exhibitions and accolades.

In 1958, she held her first solo exhibition at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York City, a pivotal moment that introduced her unique vision of minimalist abstraction to a wider audience. This marked the beginning of a series of exhibitions that would solidify her place as a trailblazing artist.

Martin’s work gained increasing recognition throughout the 1960s and 1970s, leading to her inclusion in important group exhibitions such as  Systemic Painting at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1966. Her participation in these exhibitions not only showcased her distinctive style but also highlighted her contributions to the evolving landscape of contemporary art.

A significant milestone then arrived in 1992 when the Whitney Museum of American Art held a retrospective of Martin’s work. This exhibition not only celebrated her body of work but also reaffirmed her significance as a leading figure in abstract art. Her art’s ability to elicit profound emotional responses and its unique balance of simplicity and depth were showcased to a new generation of art enthusiasts.

Martin’s contributions were not only celebrated in exhibitions but also acknowledged through prestigious awards. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by the Venice Biennale, and in 2012, was posthumously honoured with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government.