St. Paul's-Downtown NY c. 1913

John Marin made this drawing of St. Paul's in downtown New York with graphite on paper. He works with a gentle touch, letting the pencil dance across the surface, almost as if he's sketching a memory or a feeling more than a solid structure. The paper's surface is soft, and the graphite sits delicately on top, creating a hazy effect that blurs the lines between the buildings and the sky. Look closely at the steeple of St. Paul's Church. See how it pierces the sky with a nervous energy, as if the whole city is vibrating with life? It's not just a building; it's a gesture, a feeling. Marin's work reminds me of some of the drawings of Marsden Hartley, especially in the way he captures the chaotic energy of the modern city. They share this sense of New York as a jumble of impressions, a place where clarity is always just out of reach, and maybe that's the beauty of it.