View of New York [verso] c. 1913

Curator: Here we have John Marin's "View of New York," dating back to around 1913, rendered in watercolor. Editor: It’s ephemeral, like a memory fading. The watery washes almost dissolve the buildings, giving it an atmospheric haziness. You feel the weight of the city as a ghostly presence. Curator: Indeed. Marin's modernist approach saw him capture New York as a pulsating, dynamic entity. These architectural forms are certainly representational, but they’re also imbued with a sense of the city's frenetic energy through expressive lines and blocks of color. Look at how he creates these towers out of strokes of blue and grey. What do you think about the implications of these blurred and distorted city views in the cultural and psychological consciousness of the time? Editor: The blurring speaks volumes, I think, about industrial process, how it felt to experience urbanization and modernity in those early years of the twentieth century. The quick, loose application of watercolor shows the hand of the artist very deliberately. And using watercolor itself feels like a statement about rejecting the heavy traditions of oil painting, choosing instead a medium that dries quickly and reflects light and that evokes the changeable modern city. Curator: The medium adds another layer. Watercolor is so tied to landscape and light. Marin transposes those associations to the cityscape. And those delicate hues contrast beautifully with the stark verticals that characterize New York's architecture. Do you read any symbolic meaning in his palette choice? Editor: Blue is of course associated with industrial work in the factories while rose might signal the dreams for social revolution during the modernist turn-of-the-century, it is of course difficult to state definitively, but looking at the image itself, I see evidence that such aspirations existed. There seems to be more going on beyond simple depiction. I love the way the medium feels intrinsic to what he’s trying to express. Curator: A fresh perspective connecting material, message and symbolic aspiration; I agree completely! Thanks so much for joining me! Editor: My pleasure! The image reveals new information the longer one looks!