In fact, Martin’s work captures how we see today as it holds the present up for our delectation. She is the rare contemporary artist who can do so by speaking the language of historic antecedents—pop, modernist, cubist, Baroque, Italian primitive, and pre-Colombian artists. She does this by openly distorting their influences, parading them through her creations in unique ways. Amazingly, she does this without losing her originality or falling into academism and commercialism. Martin succeeds because artistic qualities—subtle if not invisible to most of us—are not overlooked by her. Martin has cultivated a well-developed craft—a necessary support for her magnetic, figurative artworks that collectors love and feel. For in the end, emotion functions as the only thing that truly establishes man’s bond with beauty. By feeling and expressing emotion, art lovers instinctively understand what she is doing, though they may not be able to put it into words. In fact, Martin’s art occupies that mysterious realm where things evade definition and cannot be described by mere words. Referencing myth, politics, décor, and religion, painting plays a fundamental role in the development of western aesthetics. Its influence is vast and found everywhere today. Painting is also a flexible language, one that encourages us to use imagination to interpret what we see. We, too, can speak it when we embrace unique points of view. In a world where we are often told what to think, great painting disrupts this. Artists cannot be distracted by convention, standards or criticism when it comes to their desire to create something unique. Martin navigates this challenge gracefully, making her vision known. As such, she lifts us above politics, concepts, and controversy to focus on the overlooked beauty of mankind and nature. We have now come full circle to celebrate America Martin’s role as a painting anthropologist —made all the more extraordinary by her approachability. - Timothy Tew
425 Peachtree Hills Ave NE, #24. Atlanta, GA 30305 / Tel: 404.869-0511 / tewgalleries.com
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