Movement: Sea, Ultramarine and Green; Sky, Cerulean and Grey 1947

John Marin made this dreamy painting of the sea and sky with loose brushstrokes and a palette of blues, greens, and grays. You can almost feel him, balancing on the shore, squinting at the light and the movement of the waves. I can imagine him, brush in hand, trying to capture the ephemeral nature of the ocean – the way the light dances on the water, the endless horizon. There's an energy here, a kind of restless searching. Look at that sun! A splodge of pure red. It's like he's wrestling with the paint, trying to pin down something that's always changing, always slipping away. It reminds me of other artists, like Turner, who were also obsessed with the sea. It’s like artists throughout time are constantly responding to each other, riffing on the same themes, but each bringing their own unique perspective. Painting's a way to embody ambiguity, to say something without saying it directly.