Marine 1880 - 1883

John La Farge made this watercolor painting titled 'Marine.' Here, the sea stretches out, capped by a turbulent sky. The ocean, a symbol of the unconscious, churns with primal energy. This elemental subject harkens back to ancient myths, where the sea is both creator and destroyer, a source of life and chaos. Consider how the depiction of water has evolved: from the stylized waves of ancient Greek pottery to the Romantic era’s sublime, untamed oceans. Think, for instance, of Hokusai's "The Great Wave," a similar depiction of the sea’s overwhelming power. Here, the waves possess an almost preternatural life. The clouds roil with a similar dynamism, evoking a sense of foreboding. The painting taps into our deep-seated fear of nature's unpredictable force, a fear that has haunted humanity since the beginning of time. Through these recurring motifs of water and sky, La Farge engages with the cyclical nature of symbols. They resurface time and again, carrying the weight of cultural memory and speaking to our collective unconscious.