Ponte Ghetto, Venice 1907

John Marin made this etching, Ponte Ghetto, Venice, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The lines are so delicate, like whispers on the paper, creating a dance of light and shadow. It feels like a fleeting moment, captured with a kind of loving urgency. Look at how the lines cluster and diverge. Notice the reflections in the water. The texture isn't just seen, it’s felt – a kind of visual vibration. My eye keeps getting drawn to the boats, how they almost dissolve into the water, just a few strokes suggesting movement and life. It's this push and pull, this in-between space, where the magic happens. Marin reminds me a little of Whistler, the way he finds poetry in the everyday. But Marin's got this restless energy, a bit more like a jazz solo. It’s like he’s saying, ‘Here’s a place, but it’s also a feeling, a memory, a possibility.’ That’s what I love about art, it's never just one thing.