Agnes Martin: The Islands

by Agnes Martin, Heinz Liesbrock

The Islands --a 1979 group of 12 identically large square paintings--is a body of work especially suitable for gaining insight into the modalities of the visual in Agnes Martin's work. An element that is common to all the canvases is the matte white color that absorbs the surrounding light but only partially radiates it back, as well as the structure of fine horizontal lines drawn in pencil. The reproductions of Martin's work in this book are of the highest quality, especially in light of the fact that her pictures are generally not ideal for reproduction, as, according to the artist, they are light and luminous and deal with fusion and formlessness, i.e., the dissolution of form. In creating this work, Martin, in a certain sense, arrives almost to the point of borderline visibility.

Genres: Art

Paperback

First published June 15, 2005

Reviews

[Michael Vagnetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ultimate experience. What do you do if you don't want to be limited to words, images, communication any more? One of the ideas here: what we think of as "content" or "subject matter" is not essential, and may be an obfuscation on a grand, existential scale. This art extends the stark hand of almost-nothingness and trusts the viewer in that terrifying space. There is another way to exist that is so savage in its simplicity. If you really take the time to enter this space, you will never read the same way again.

As a book, I only wish it were larger. As large as possible. Broadsheets, impossibly large, as close to 72" x 72" as is possible.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes Martin work suffers greatly in reproduction. The essay accompanying the 12 plates that make up this brief catalog acknowledges that. It describes in great physical detail those aspects which cannot be seen in the book.