Echo Lake, Pennsylvania 1916

John Marin made this watercolor, Echo Lake, Pennsylvania, at an undetermined date, but it's a process right there on the page, isn’t it? It's all about thin washes, letting the light in, with these gorgeous, muted tones. Look how the colors bleed into each other, like he's trying to capture the very essence of a place rather than just depicting it. The paint is so transparent, it’s almost like looking through colored glass. There's this one spot, a little dark blob right on the horizon line. It’s not much on its own, but it brings the whole landscape into focus. Marin uses marks, not necessarily descriptive, but evocative. He was definitely inspired by Cezanne, but with this looser, more emotional feel. It’s less about form and more about feeling the landscape, the air, the light. For me, it’s a reminder that painting is always a conversation, and Marin adds his own unique voice to it.