Castorland, New York 1913

John Marin made this watercolor, Castorland, New York, using loose, energetic strokes, like he was trying to capture the feeling of a place rather than just its appearance. There’s a real sense of process here, of the artist working through his impressions right on the page. The colors are muted, mostly greens and browns, but with these surprising pops of pink and blue that give the whole thing a kind of joyful lift. Look at how he uses the watercolor almost like a crayon in places, scratching and scribbling to build up the forms. It’s like he’s wrestling with the medium, trying to pin down something fleeting. See that dark, zigzaggy line in the foreground? It’s almost like a doodle, but it anchors the whole composition and gives it a kind of playful energy. Marin was always experimenting with ways to capture movement and feeling in his work. You can see that same spirit in the work of someone like Marsden Hartley, another American modernist who wasn’t afraid to let his emotions show. Ultimately, what’s so great about this piece is its openness, its willingness to embrace the messy, unresolved quality of life itself.