Ye Old Dutch Church, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey c. 1950

John Marin made this drawing of Ye Old Dutch Church in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey with what looks like charcoal or maybe graphite, and it’s a real scribble of marks. The lines aren't precious; they’re all about capturing the feeling of a place. There's a wonderful energy in the way the church seems to rise up, with these spiky lines around it, like it’s almost vibrating. Notice the way he renders the spire with very quick, thin, confident strokes. It’s like he’s grabbed the essence of the building, and the surrounding landscape, in one go. Marin’s work always makes me think of Marsden Hartley, another American modernist, in the way he breaks down form into its essential elements. I love this drawing because it reminds us that art doesn’t always need to be about perfect representation. It can be about capturing a feeling, a moment, a memory. And maybe that’s what Marin was after all along.