Dimensions: support: 1525 x 1525 x 35 mm
Copyright: © estate of Agnes Martin | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Agnes Martin's "Faraway Love," part of the Tate collection, presents us with a large canvas of delicate, horizontal lines. Editor: It feels incredibly subtle, almost like a whisper. The scale is impressive, yet the impact is so gentle. Curator: Martin's process is key here. These aren't just lines; they're built up with graphite and gesso. It’s about the labor and the careful construction of something seemingly simple. The grid, for Martin, was about humility. Editor: That humility is striking, especially considering the art world's machismo. Did the institutions showing her work at the time recognize this quiet power? Curator: I think they were captivated by it. Martin carved out a space for a different kind of art, one that foregrounded materiality. Editor: It makes you appreciate the hand, the time, the conscious slowing down. Curator: Exactly. And how that challenges notions of production and value. Editor: Looking at it now, I see something more than just lines. It's a feeling, a presence. Curator: It invites contemplation, it is a reminder that the political can also be quiet.
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Martin used a short metal ruler and masking tape to create her lines. She applied the paint in vertical stripes, rotating the canvas by 90 degrees once the paint was dry. She explained that ‘you can’t put it on horizontally. It would drip down’. Despite her use of a ruler, the lines that Martin produced are not rigidly straight. They trace the texture of the linen canvas, creating an undeniably hand-drawn quality. Gallery label, June 2021
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