St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada 1951

John Marin's sketch of St. Johns, New Brunswick, Canada, is rendered with graphite on paper, a humble pairing that belies the image's dynamic energy. The rapid strokes capture a panoramic view, emphasizing the town’s relationship to the water. Marin’s choices – graphite, with its immediacy, and paper, with its accessibility – suggest a desire to capture the scene spontaneously. The sketchiness of the lines and shading lend themselves to the feeling of a place in progress, a town being built and lived in. The sketch invites us to consider the labor and industry that shaped this landscape, from the buildings to the boats, all implied through Marin's deft manipulation of a simple material. This work reminds us that art doesn't always require elaborate materials. Sometimes, the simplest tools can convey the most profound observations about the world around us.