Marine, 1 1910 - 1911

Lyonel Feininger made this etching, Marine, 1, at an unknown date, using simple lines to depict a maritime scene. It's a pretty calm sea, rendered as a set of repeated lines. Looking at the sky, which seems to be made from thousands of little lines like he just had a really great time making tiny marks over and over. It kind of reminds me of Agnes Martin, but where she builds to almost nothing, Feininger builds his picture with just small lines. I really love the different boats and their placement within the frame. It has this sort of quietness, even though the boats would be quite noisy in real life. The tiny boat sailing off in the distance almost blends into the sky. The larger ship appears very solid and imposing with an interesting shadow. It's like he is exploring the possibility of depth. All this with just simple lines. It makes me want to go make something, too.