River Valley (recto) c. 1900

John Marin made this pencil drawing, River Valley, at an unknown date. Marin was among those American artists keen to take up European modernist styles, like Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism, and translate them into a distinctly American idiom. With its simple rendering of the landscape, the drawing seems innocent. Yet, it participates in a critical moment in American art, when artists and institutions were trying to define what was uniquely 'American' about American art. Looking to the landscape was a key aspect of this. By focusing on nature, artists could sidestep contentious social issues and offer a unifying image of the nation. To understand this drawing more fully, we might look into the cultural politics of American landscape painting in the early 20th century. We might also investigate the patronage networks and exhibition circuits that supported artists like Marin. The meaning of art always depends on its social and institutional context.