Partridge in Flight, Deer Isle 1926

John Marin made 'Partridge in Flight, Deer Isle' with watercolor and charcoal sometime in the early part of the 20th century. Just imagine him there, with his paper and paints, watching a partridge take off! Look at how the charcoal outlines define the shapes, but the watercolor bleeds and softens everything. It's like he's trying to capture not just the bird, but the feeling of movement, the blur of wings. That brown bird shape is so simple, yet it really pops against the muted blues and grays. I wonder if he struggled to get it just right, adding layers of wash, wiping away, and starting again? For me, this piece speaks to a certain freedom, maybe even a little chaos. It reminds me of other American modernists like Marsden Hartley or Arthur Dove, who were also trying to find new ways of seeing and representing the world. And that's what painting is all about: a continuous conversation among artists, each pushing the boundaries of what's possible!