[Art] Agnes Martin Dies

I don't mean to keep hyping my own syphilitically-induced prophetic powers, but earlier this week I started hankering to see an Agnes Martin canvas — I get similar cravings from time to time for Joan Mitchell — this recent attack brought on no doubt by my friend AJ's trip to Paris — Beaubourg has some pieces, but did AJ go to Beaubourg, as I had suggested? did AJ go anywhere I suggested? well, of course not — I even meant to do a blog entry on Martin last last week but got distracted — anyway, Thursday Martin up and dies in Taos. Coincidence, or has my ability to kill with a single thought gotten stronger? You decide.

"The value of art is in the observer," she said in an interview with The New York Times. "When you find out what you like, you're really finding out about yourself. Beethoven's music is joyous. If you like his music, you know that you like to be joyful. People who look at my painting say that it makes them happy, like the feeling when you wake up in the morning. And happiness is the goal, isn't it?"