Old House, Quai d'Ivry 1906

John Marin made this etching, "Old House, Quai d'Ivry," and just look at that web of delicate lines coming together! I can almost see him, bent over the plate, scratching away with his tools, coaxing this scene into being. It’s like he's building the scene up from almost nothing, letting the architecture emerge from the ether. There's a real push-pull in this work, between representation and abstraction, between a solid old building and a dissolving cityscape. Look at how those sketchy lines evoke the rough texture of the building's surface, the way it catches the light. And I wonder, was Marin thinking about Whistler when he made this? Or maybe he was just trying to capture a moment, a feeling, a fleeting impression of a place he knew well. Either way, it’s like he's speaking across time, inviting us to join the conversation.