It is known that Martin made some spelling mistakes since she was a child. In the handwritten text, there is a misspelling from which a new, double meaning emerges. She wrote “Forever is not to long” when she meant to say “Forever is not too long” The presence or absence of a single letter creates a distance, widens and transforms the meaning of her words. From this unfolding emerges a sort of mirroring image: what she said (the fact) and what she meant to say (the desire). The words come close in form (to/too) but also in the complicity resulting from two singular meanings intertwined.
This work reproduces the exact location of where Martin's words fell in the original letter.
Forever, forever (after Agnes Martin). Ultrachrome copy on Photo Rag Hahnemühle paper. 27,9 x 21,59 cm each. 32,5 x 47,5 cm framed.
Scan of the original letter, found in book Agnes Martin: Pioneer, Painter, Icon by Henry Martin. Schaffner Press, 2018.