Rowe, Massachusetts 1918

John Marin made this watercolor, Rowe, Massachusetts with paper and brushstrokes that let the light in. You can feel the white of the page breathing beneath the washes of color. Look at how he's built up the scene with these very direct marks. See that band of purple and blue at the top, that is the horizon line? Notice how those hues bleed softly, like the sky is weeping onto the hills. And below, the ochre and yellow, that's the earth, still vibrant. Then, little green dabs become trees – so simple, so deft! Each mark feels both deliberate and spontaneous, a dance between control and chance. Marin reminds me of someone like Marsden Hartley, someone else who was wrestling with how to make an American painting, something real and felt. It's like they’re both saying, "Let's see what happens," embracing the messiness of it all.