Nude Figure 1936

John Marin made this drawing of a nude figure, probably in 1936, with charcoal on paper. It’s all about the line here, isn't it? Quick, searching, and not at all concerned with being too precious. I imagine Marin standing there, charcoal in hand, letting his eye dart around, trying to capture not just the figure but the energy of the room. You can almost feel him thinking, "How can I make this less about anatomy and more about feeling?" The lines have a real sense of movement. It reminds me of some of my own works, where I’m trying to find the form through a kind of dance with the material. There’s a lovely vulnerability here, an honesty that transcends the need for perfection. We painters, we're all just talking to each other across time, riffing on the same themes, trying to push the conversation forward.