“I love it…” It being abstract painting. The quote is that of New York Times art critic Holland Cotter from a fine recent article entitled The Joy of Reading Between Agnes Martin’s Lines. An article that respectfully lays out the many reasons to go view Agnes Martin’s retrospective currently at the Guggenheim…even if you don’t find yourself easily loving abstract art.
He opens up the article with questions.
To be honest, I wonder what a lot of people see in abstract painting…How do you approach an art empty of figures and evident narratives? How do you find out what, if anything, is in it for you? What do you do to make it your own?
I too love abstract art. I didn’t have to learn how to enjoy it. I just do. Color, line, pattern, shape, movement. Elements independent of defining a story. There for me to experience and interpret. I too often have asked myself similar questions and wondered why some find it difficult to appreciate. Cotter asks this question about Agnes Martin’s work: “How do people for whom abstract painting is an unknown language get to experience this lift?”
Cotter looks to a quote from Agnes Martin for the answer: “Anyone who can sit on a stone in a field awhile can see my paintings.”
To paraphrase Agnes Martin: sit and look.
Ynotartblog's Blog 
Leave a comment