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Sea Movement–Green and Blue

A work made of watercolor with wiping, and fabricated charcoal, over graphite, on thick, slightly textured, off-white wove paper (all edges trimmed), hinged to wood-pulp board, faced with cream paper, gilt with silver leaf, in original frame.
© 2018 Estate of John Marin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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  • A work made of watercolor with wiping, and fabricated charcoal, over graphite, on thick, slightly textured, off-white wove paper (all edges trimmed), hinged to wood-pulp board, faced with cream paper, gilt with silver leaf, in original frame.

Date:

1923

Artist:

John Marin
American, 1870-1953

About this artwork

Mark Island, Maine, notable for its lighthouse, signals the passage from Penobscot Bay to Stonington Harbor. For this watercolor, Marin started his sketch of the island in graphite rather than charcoal, allowing for greater precision. Yet he playfully set it against the mountainous profile of Mount Desert, a view that could not in reality have been seen from the same vantage point. Marin employed a particularly expressionistic handling of watercolor here: contours are jagged and black, and the paint is heavily manipulated. An electric blue sky, animated by circular wiping, is energized by the single line of yellow marking the contour of the island. The artist’s passionate orchestration of movement, color, and mood map the fluctuation of a turbulent sea, while the reflective silver frame and mount contribute to the sense of dynamism and excitement.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

John Marin

Title

Sea Movement–Green and Blue

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.

1923

Medium

Watercolor with wiping, and fabricated charcoal, over graphite, on thick, slightly textured, off-white wove paper (all edges trimmed), hinged to wood-pulp board, faced with cream paper, gilt with silver leaf, in original frame

Inscriptions

Signed and dated lower right, in brush and green wash, over charcoal: “Marin 23”; inscribed verso, center, in graphite: "No2 Mark Island / Light House"

Dimensions

42.9 × 52.1 cm (16 15/16 × 20 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.564

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.

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