Mark Tobey

While a contemporary of the Abstract Expressionists, Tobey developed a unique and often calligraphic style, grounded in a place of mindfulness rather than the physical action of his contemporaries. A spiritual and artistic turning point for Tobey occurred in 1918 when he was introduced to the ecumenical Baha'i Faith, which promotes universal consciousness. Working largely in water-based media, such as tempera and gouache, on modestly-scaled canvases and paper, Tobey began a painting by emptying his mind of extraneous thoughts in order to focus exclusively on the meticulous placement of abstract gestures and shapes. Within his tablet-size paintings, suffused with masses of lines and overlaid with fragmentary forms, Tobey captured universes of possibilities and energy. In discussing his practice, Tobey said: I believe that painting should come through the avenues of meditation rather than the canals of action. Only then can one have a conversation with a painting. If I find no content, there's no communication.