Untitled c. 1923

John Marin made this "Untitled" watercolor and charcoal drawing in 1912. Look at the sketchy lines, the way he builds up the image. He’s not trying to make a perfect picture, he’s showing us the *process* of seeing. The colors are watery and thin, like he’s barely touching the paper, but the charcoal gives it some grit, a rough edge. See how the vertical lines of the building, or whatever it is, are repeated in the strokes of blue on the left? It’s like everything is vibrating, alive. My favorite part is that little blue blob near the bottom. It's just a smudge, really, but it holds the whole thing together. I see a kinship with someone like Marsden Hartley, who was also trying to capture the energy of a place, not just its appearance. It’s about feeling, not just seeing. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what it is. Art is more of an ongoing conversation.