Grey Sea 1938

John Marin's 'Grey Sea' was painted in 1938, probably in oil, and is full of strokes of muted colors that conjure a windswept coastal scene. You can almost feel the ocean breeze. I imagine him standing there, battling the elements, trying to capture the essence of the sea. See how he's used these broken brushstrokes? They're not trying to trick you into thinking it's a photo. Instead, they speak to a feeling, a fleeting moment. The paint is applied with such a directness, thick in some places, thin in others, which gives the work an almost sculptural quality. I love the little dashes of green and blue against the grays, like sparks of life in a moody landscape. Marin, like many of us painters, was in conversation with the painters that came before, learning from them, challenging them, adding his own voice to the mix. It's all one big, messy, beautiful conversation. And that's what makes painting so exciting. It's not about answers, but about questions, about seeing and feeling and trying to make sense of it all with a brush in hand.