Dancing Figures 1936

John Marin made this watercolour painting, *Dancing Figures*, in 1936. You can see his loose, gestural approach in the figures and the way he’s used thinned washes of colour. It feels like he's capturing a fleeting moment, an energy, rather than aiming for a polished, finished look. I love how the blue washes at the top and bottom kinda sandwich the scene, and the sketchy figures dancing in the middle – they’re full of life, even though they’re just a few lines and some colour. And there are these abstract sculptures that look like Easter Island heads behind them. It reminds me of Picasso’s explorations of form, but with a distinctively American looseness. Marin wasn't afraid to leave things unfinished or raw. It’s like he's inviting us into his process, into the messy, beautiful act of making art.