I know Tobey, but not that he followed the Baha'i faith. Great collection of quotes. I tend to experience artists only through their works, and sometimes I am almost illiterate when it comes to the biography (just as the nice couple in the video are when it comes to art... they say). So what I know is often anecdotes I heard from other artists or simply because I incidentally have read a little bit, like this post. I didn't know that he worked with John Cage for example.

Funny thing is that the new insight from the quotes only complements the things I already knew from his paintings. The forties and fifties created an art that was solemn and abstract. All the pain of the world just had to distil into this introvert chase of beauty, truth and spirituality. No wonder they had this inclination... and the Baha'i faith fits quite perfect into this. The unity of mankind was a necessary dream.

I always though of Tobey and Henri Michaux together. The writing, the need to be there only as signature, as handwriting.

Thanks for a great post. Really made me think again - my brain has been in hibernation for the last week!