Agnes Martin, a renowned minimalist painter, is being celebrated in a new exhibition titled "Innocent Love" at Pace Gallery. This collection spotlights her final series of works, created in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which reveal a vibrant shift in her artistic expression. Known for her subtle grids and subdued tones, Martin's later paintings incorporate a richer palette and playful titles, reflecting a period of profound joy and artistic liberation at the end of her life. These pieces, smaller in scale due to her advanced age, represent a culmination of her lifelong artistic journey, offering a unique glimpse into her personal and creative evolution.
Martin's artistic path was deeply intertwined with her personal experiences and mental health struggles. Born in Canada in 1912, she moved to the United States at 19, eventually pursuing art in New York City. Despite achieving critical acclaim in the 1960s for her signature grid paintings, the pressures of the art world led her to retreat to New Mexico, her adopted home. Here, she found solace and a renewed sense of purpose, often drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism's emphasis on restraint. Her battle with schizophrenia also profoundly influenced her periods of both isolation and intense creativity.
The "Innocent Love" paintings, a collection of 13 works, are particularly significant. Each canvas measures 60 square inches, a deliberate reduction from her previous larger formats, chosen for practical reasons as she approached 90 years old. Marc Glimcher, CEO of Pace Gallery, describes these works as "wind storms," noting their looser line syncopation and deeper exploration of color. Martin introduced tangerine, sky blue, and a light limey green, a departure from her typically muted palette. These paintings, with titles like Little Children Loving Love and I Love Love, exude a childlike wonder, a testament to her ability to transcend a lifetime of struggles and embrace pure joy.
A pivotal influence on this late-career flourishing was Martin's unexpected connection with Marc Glimcher's children in New Mexico. Having moved there with his family, Glimcher witnessed Martin's profound bond with his young son and daughter. This regular interaction with children, a novelty for the artist, "supercharged" her creative output, fostering a newfound joyful openness that manifested directly in her vibrant and expressive art. This period of intense productivity, lasting just over two years, allowed a deluge of these remarkable paintings to emerge.
Martin's journey to becoming an artist was unconventional. After teaching in Washington State and attending Columbia University, she was inspired by the art scene in New York. However, it was her move to the Southwest in 1946, where she studied at the University of New Mexico and briefly met Georgia O'Keeffe, that truly shaped her artistic direction. Although most of her early figurative and landscape works were later destroyed as she moved towards abstraction, they caught the attention of New York dealer Betty Parsons, who offered her a show if she returned to the city.
Returning to New York in 1957, Martin immersed herself in the vibrant Coenties Slip art community, alongside artists like Robert Indiana and Ellsworth Kelly. While aligning herself with Abstract Expressionists, she simultaneously paved the way for Minimalism with her distinctive approach. Yet, as her fame grew, so did the strain on her mental well-being. This led her back to the tranquil deserts of New Mexico, a place she considered her artistic "source code." After nearly a decade-long hiatus, she re-emerged with renewed vigor, achieving significant financial stability and critical recognition through prestigious gallery and museum exhibitions.
Martin's later years in New Mexico were marked by a balanced life. She built her own adobe homes, cultivated friendships, and enjoyed simple pleasures like listening to Beethoven and driving her white Mercedes. Despite the prevailing image of her as a solitary eccentric, she embraced life with gusto. Marc Glimcher emphasizes that her entire life was a work of art, a dedication that culminated in her final series. He asserts the importance of examining an artist's very last works, as they often represent their most unadulterated and authentic expression.
The sheer exuberance of Martin's final creations is striking, especially given her history of suffering and resilience. She consistently managed to overcome adversity, allowing light and positivity to infuse her art. Her famous 1973 lecture, "Perfection is not necessary. Perfection you cannot have," encapsulates her philosophy. She believed that contentment came from pursuing one's true calling and recognizing the journey. The modest appearance of her paintings, with their delicate color bands and subtly wavering graphite lines, belies the profound emotional impact they generate. This ability to evoke intense reactions from seemingly simple forms is the hallmark of her genius; for Martin, the viewer's experience of her art was, in itself, the art.