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Nudes in Sea

A work made of watercolor with blotting, wiping, and scraping, and black crayon, with brown colored pencil, on heavyweight, moderately textured, ivory wove paper (all edges trimmed), in original frame.
© 2018 Estate of John Marin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

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  • A work made of watercolor with blotting, wiping, and scraping, and black crayon, with brown colored pencil, on heavyweight, moderately textured, ivory wove paper (all edges trimmed), in original frame.

Date:

1940

Artist:

John Marin
American, 1870-1953

About this artwork

Some of Marin’s Cape Split seascapes incorporate voluptuous female nudes, who swim, wade, and sun themselves on rocks. His models included his wife and the couple’s neighbor, though many compositions were clearly imagined. When he started this watercolor, he addressed the seascape first, leaving the seven female forms in reserve. Marin later fleshed them out in pink, with darker red shading. He used black crayon to define the figures’ broken contours, underscoring each nude with a heavy, shiny black line to anchor the bodies on the rocks. Two horizontal lines in the sky seem to symbolize the unity of ocean and women in this world of abundant beauty.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

John Marin

Title

Nudes in Sea

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.

Made 1940

Medium

Watercolor with blotting, wiping, and scraping, and black crayon, with brown colored pencil, on heavyweight, moderately textured, ivory wove paper (all edges trimmed), in original frame

Inscriptions

Signed and dated lower right, black crayon: "Marin 40"

Dimensions

39.1 × 53.3 cm (15 7/16 × 21 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.572

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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