Ponte Ghetto, Venice by John Marin

Ponte Ghetto, Venice 1907

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Dimensions: plate: 23.8 x 19 cm (9 3/8 x 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 28.1 x 22.6 cm (11 1/16 x 8 7/8 in.)

Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

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.

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