Palazzo Dario, Venice 1907

John Marin made this etching, Palazzo Dario, Venice, using definitive lines and marks to depict the famous Venetian building. Marin is well known for his watercolors. He created many cityscapes in this medium, but here he chose etching instead, which is really interesting to me. I'm imagining him with the plate, carefully working on it, how he would have to imagine the image in reverse, how he would have to trust his lines to create a kind of shorthand for seeing. Venice must have been so beautiful. It's easy to see why so many artists have been attracted to it over the years. And it's easy to imagine being there, trying to figure out the language of the city, trying to translate it into art. I love this print. It's direct, clear, and alive. It's exciting to see the dialogue he was having with the city as he made the work.