Small Point, Maine 1917

John Marin made this watercolor painting, Small Point, Maine, sometime in his career, using a light touch and a muted palette. The way he layers thin washes of color, almost like a stain, it’s like he's letting the landscape seep into the paper. Look at the lower part of the image, those almost scribbled marks suggesting vegetation. They're so immediate, so direct. You can almost feel Marin's hand moving across the page, trying to capture the essence of the place rather than a literal depiction. It’s a kind of shorthand, a visual language that gets right to the feeling of being there. Marin’s work always reminds me of Marsden Hartley, another master of American landscape. But where Hartley can be heavy and brooding, Marin is light, airy, almost ephemeral. Both artists share a love for the Maine landscape and a dedication to exploring the emotional possibilities of paint. In the end, Marin's work is about embracing the fluidity of experience. It reminds us that seeing is not just about looking, but about feeling and sensing the world around us.