Third Street, New Castle, Delaware 1931

John Marin created this oil painting, Third Street, New Castle, Delaware, using traditional art materials and processes. The loose brushstrokes and thin application of pigment give the scene an ethereal quality, as if capturing a fleeting moment. Marin’s technique emphasizes the material qualities of the paint itself; each stroke is visible, contributing to a sense of immediacy and directness. It reflects a departure from academic painting towards a more subjective and expressive approach. Marin was part of a generation of artists who embraced modernism, and challenged traditional distinctions between fine art and craft. By focusing on the materiality of the medium and the act of painting itself, Marin elevated the ordinary into something extraordinary. And in so doing, encouraged a shift in the way we perceive and understand art.