Untitled [verso] 

This sketch was made by John Marin, likely around 1950, using graphite on paper. It appears to be a preparatory sketch, or the "verso," of another work, almost like a fleeting idea captured in a notebook. The material itself, graphite, is key here. Marin wasn't after the slick finish of oil paint, or the heavy presence of sculpture. Graphite allows for a direct, almost conversational approach to image-making. See how the lines are tentative, searching, and sometimes even erased. The softness of the graphite allows for subtle gradations in tone, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The paper support too is important – it looks like a common drawing pad, the kind you might take on a trip. The sketch is a quick study, a distillation of form, and it invites us to consider the artwork not as a finished object, but as a record of a moment of perception. It reminds us that art-making is a process of thinking through materials, and seeing where they might lead.