Movement, Fantasy Series 1943

John Marin made this drawing, "Movement, Fantasy Series," with charcoal and graphite, probably in the early part of the 20th century. Look at the raw energy in those lines! It's like he's wrestling with the figures, trying to pin down not just what they look like, but how they feel, how they move. You can almost feel the charcoal scratching against the paper. See how the smudgy greys and blacks give weight to the figures, while the lighter graphite lines dance around them, creating a sense of air and space. There’s a dark, almost scribbled area right above the seated figure – it's like Marin is pushing back against the conventional idea of drawing as representation, instead embracing it as a record of his own physical and emotional engagement. It reminds me a bit of Egon Schiele's drawings, that same kind of restless, searching line. But Marin brings a distinctly American energy to it, a sense of freedom and experimentation. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time and place.