Agnes Martin’s contemplative compositions are informed by her belief in the ability of art to invoke what she called “abstract emotions.” When asked how viewers should respond to her work, the artist compared the experience to looking at the ocean: “You just go there and sit and look.” In a reflective state, Martin drew freehand a series of graphite lines on her paintings. While her work is often compared to meditative or transcendent experiences, the artist insisted it is not about spirituality. Rather, she preferred that viewers see in her paintings the perfection and beauty of nature. Regarding the connection between the grid form and a tree, the artist explained, “I asked myself why do I like trees so much and this grid came as a visual image in my mind. After I had finished it I recognized it as representing the innocence of a tree. Later in my untitled work, most of my paintings are about innocence.”

Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018