Whether you're charmed or not by Agnes Martin's paintings, which mostly consist of horizontal lines on 5'x5' or 6'x6' canvases, you may wonder what ideas lurk behind them. This hour-long monologue by the artist answers that question most satisfyingly. Filmed in her studio, relaxed but also very pointedly, Martin talks about waiting for an inspiration to come. She's big on intuitions and inspirations, which she trusts much more than facts and ideas. Along the way she explains why she was sometimes mistaken for a minimalist even though she considered herself the last of the abstract expressionists.
After thriving with fellow artists including Ellsworth Kelly in Manhattan for ten years at the beginning of her career, she moved to Taos, NM, where she also thrived, essentially alone. She goes on at length about her philosophy of life and in particular about the virtues of an "empty mind." This talk is less spacey than you might expect, thanks to her uncommon genuineness and clarity. Here is a person who, at age 86 when this doc was made, had figured out life for herself, came up with some provocative answers, and summarizes them for us smartly but sweetly.
After thriving with fellow artists including Ellsworth Kelly in Manhattan for ten years at the beginning of her career, she moved to Taos, NM, where she also thrived, essentially alone. She goes on at length about her philosophy of life and in particular about the virtues of an "empty mind." This talk is less spacey than you might expect, thanks to her uncommon genuineness and clarity. Here is a person who, at age 86 when this doc was made, had figured out life for herself, came up with some provocative answers, and summarizes them for us smartly but sweetly.
