Circus Scene c. 1945

John Marin's Circus Scene is a riot of graphite, crayon, and charcoal on paper, and looking at it, you can just feel his hand moving—quick, decisive, like a jazz solo! I can almost feel the energy of the circus through these lines—the bold strokes of charcoal forming the architecture of the scene, maybe the big top itself, while the red crayon zigzags vibrate with the pulse of the performance. What do you think Marin was thinking as he made it? It's all about capturing a feeling, not just what you see, right? The nervous energy in Marin's mark-making reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbles, but with an American swagger. You see how gestures like these carry such weight, full of emotion and intention. It makes you realize that we, as artists, are all just trying to capture a fleeting moment, an experience, and translate it into something tangible.