Rowe, Massachusetts 1918

This is John Marin's watercolor, Rowe, Massachusetts, made sometime in 1918. Look at the washes of color, the wetness of the paper, and the way the scene almost comes into focus as you spend time with it. I imagine Marin standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture the essence of this rural landscape. The greens and browns blend together, creating a sense of harmony and calm. The touches of blue and yellow add just the right amount of zing, don’t they? The strokes are loose and gestural, but also kind of precise, each mark carefully placed to suggest form and depth. It reminds me of Cezanne, or maybe even some of the early Impressionists. You get the sense that Marin wasn't just painting what he saw but also what he felt. He has a deep appreciation for the beauty of the everyday. It's like he’s saying, “Hey, look at this! Isn't it amazing?" And, yeah, it really is.