Untitled 1978

Agnes Martin made this untitled work with pencil and gesso on canvas. Look at how the pale colours create these barely-there horizontal bands, and then note the subtle pencil lines that run across. You can almost feel Agnes Martin hovering over this canvas, making these marks with absolute care, like she's inviting you to quiet down and experience the world in a new way. There is a grid like structure that is just slightly off, not quite perfect. That’s where the magic lies because, in that imperfection, we discover the human element, the trace of the artist's hand, and a space for our own feelings. The physical quality is thin, almost like a watercolour. The surface has this chalky, matte feel from the gesso, which is a painting ground. I keep thinking about Hilma af Klint who was working in a similar vein. Both of them were chasing something beyond the surface of things.