Skip to Content

The Green Sea – Movement – Stonington, Maine

A work made of watercolor with wiping and charcoal on thick (estimated), slightly textured, ivory wove paper, hinged to paperboard, faced with ivory wove (estimated) paper, gilt with gold leaf (top and right edges trimmed), in original frame.
© 2018 Estate of John Marin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image actions

  • A work made of watercolor with wiping and charcoal on thick (estimated), slightly textured, ivory wove paper, hinged to paperboard, faced with ivory wove (estimated) paper, gilt with gold leaf (top and right edges trimmed), in original frame.

Date:

1921

Artist:

John Marin
American, 1870-1953

About this artwork

An early instance of Marin’s changing framing aesthetic can be seen in his handling of this watercolor, which was adhered to a gilded mount and then fitted in a spare gilded frame. This approach, which left plenty of space around the sheet, emphasizes the artwork’s materiality, an important concept for Marin. Unlike the white enamel frames he had favored throughout the previous decade, his gilded mounts and frames of the early 1920s were not intended to harmonize with his art. Rather, the use of gold was meant to be visually jarring, here drawing the viewer into the violent sea and proving the strength of the composition.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

John Marin

Title

The Green Sea – Movement – Stonington, Maine

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1921

Medium

Watercolor with wiping and charcoal on thick (estimated), slightly textured, ivory wove paper, hinged to paperboard, faced with ivory wove (estimated) paper, gilt with gold leaf (top and right edges trimmed), in original frame

Inscriptions

Signed and dated lower right, in blue watercolor over charcoal, “Marin 21”; inscribed verso, in graphite: "C"; in graphite: “39 New”

Dimensions

41.3 × 49.5 cm (16 5/16 × 19 1/2 in.); Mount: 57.8 × 64.5 cm (22 13/16 × 25 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.560

Copyright

© 2018 Estate of John Marin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share