Drawing the Line

“Christina Rosenberger deftly orients Agnes Martin’s ‘inspiration’ and facture toward an industrious past. Whilst dignifying Martin’s desire to shield her audience from her more developmental and exploratory early career, Rosenberger maps a trajectory—fueled by ambition, erudition, and talent—toward the much-celebrated grid paintings of the 1960s. For the first time, Martin’s surviving corpus of early work can be considered within the context of the various artistic communities she metabolized. Meticulous research and a genuine desire to ‘see’ has become Rosenberger’s hallmark.”—Rachel Barker, Modern and Contemporary Paintings Conservator, Tate   “Biographical readings of Agnes Martin’s work abound, but scholarship that focuses instead on close art historical analysis of its form and facture has been lacking. Drawing the Line reorients the reader to her art, in particular the early work of 1940 to 1967. In this important new book, Christina Rosenberger argues that the creative solutions and artistic relationships Martin developed in this period shape all of her later work, including the nonobjective grid paintings for which she is most renowned.”—Michele Marincola, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Conservation, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University   “As the art of Agnes Martin assumes ever-greater importance, Christina Rosenberger’s Drawing the Line arrives to provide a vividly empathetic picture of the complete artist. With graceful style and acute analytical intelligence, she makes Martin’s formative work crucial and compelling for any understanding of the artist.”—Thomas E. Crow, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University