New York City Street Movement 

John Marin created this sketch of "New York City Street Movement" using graphite on paper. Marin was part of a generation of artists who grappled with how to represent the dynamism of modern urban life in the early 20th century. Look at how the city seems to fracture and dissolve into a chaotic jumble of lines. This captures the feeling of being overwhelmed by the sheer energy and activity of the city. The early twentieth century was a period of massive immigration and industrial expansion in New York. Social institutions struggled to keep pace with this rapid change. Marin's sketch reflects the anxieties and excitement of this era. By fragmenting the image of the city, Marin critiques traditional modes of representation. He invites us to see New York as a constantly evolving, fluid space. To better understand Marin's work, we can consult period newspapers, urban planning documents, and social histories of New York. These resources help us to understand the complex social and institutional forces that shaped his art.