Venetian Canal c. 1907

John Marin made this Venetian Canal with watercolor and charcoal on paper. It's all soft edges and muted tones, like a memory fading into the paper. Can you imagine him standing there, charcoal in hand, squinting at the light as it bounces off the water? I love to think of how he might capture the essence of Venice with just a few, almost hesitant, lines. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, how he could conjure entire worlds with a scribble. There’s a dance between what’s there and what’s suggested. It’s not about capturing every detail, but more about evoking a feeling, a sense of place. The blues and pinks, smudged and blurred, feel like the sounds of the city. It's like Marin is saying, "Here, I'm not going to show you everything, but I'll give you enough to dream."