Ye Old Dutch Church, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey c. 1950

John Marin made this drawing of Ye Old Dutch Church with ink on paper. Look at those lines, so free and scratchy, like he just dashed it off, trying to capture a feeling more than a perfect picture. I can almost see him standing there, squinting at the church, trying to get it down quick before the light changed or a car drove by and ruined the vibe. It's like he's not just drawing a building but also the air around it. The trees, the steeple, even the little person in front—it's all just a bunch of wobbly lines holding things together. Marin was pals with all those early modernists and he knew all about trying to show movement and energy in a still picture, and I think this drawing is a good example of that! It reminds me that every artist is riffing off someone else, and that's what makes art so cool. It's a big conversation that's been going on for centuries.