Meeting Agnes Martin

So I had one of the most enjoyable museum experiences I've had in years last Saturday at the Dia:Beacon.

First of all, the train ride there from Manhattan along the Hudson River (about an hour and a half north) is breathtaking, which quickly eases you into a Oh-Thank-God-I'm-Out-Of-The-City-For-A-Day frame of mind. Second of all, I didn't know totally what to expect; I only knew that I had read great things about the space, and that it was high on my NYC-Area To-Do List.

The museum is quiet, even peaceful; no photographs are allowed, and cell phones have to remain off. It's not a large venue overall, but the spaces that contain the art are--it really gives you breathing room to take in each artist on display.

And although I was especially delighted (seriously--delighted is the correct word to use here) with the wall drawings exhibit by Sol LeWitt, I really had a Ooooh-Yeah-THIS-Is-Why-I-Love-Art moment with the work by minimalist painter Agnes Martin.

Her paintings were soft, almost linen-like. The collection contained a lot of grays and whites and pastels with light washes over them. Some of the paintings had titles like Love, Contentment, Innocent Living, and Where Babies Come From. And on top of the stillness of the museum itself, discovering her work for the first time was both Zen-like and exciting for me.

Pictures can't do it justice. In fact, the website where I got the below images even states, "Due to the delicate nature of Martin prints, they are nearly impossible to photograph." Nevertheless, here's a taste of what I saw (if you can see them!).

Get up there for yourself when you can, though. And give ole Agnes a big Holy-Crap-Amy-Was-Totally-Right hello for me.

Images via ArtRiver.com

Could Be Cool: Rorschach Blots as Art

I'm constantly on the lookout for interesting things to frame as art, particularly if I can group them into a series (see my earlier posts on Eames lounge chairs and maps). And even before I was introduced to the coolness that is the graphic novel Watchmen, I've always thought that framing and hanging antique Rorschach Test ink blots would be a weird, conversation-starting sort of project.

They're not too easy to find online...they sometimes pop up on eBay and I've seen them here. That's because of the debate on the ethics of showing psychological tests like these to the public. And yeah, I get that. But come on! Wouldn't these be cool framed in good old-fashioned Ribba frames from IKEA and hanging on your living or dining room wall?

Image source: Wikipedia