John Marin (American, 1870–1953)
Movement: Boats and Objects, Blue Gray Sea
INV-6610
John Marin (American, 1870–1953)1947
Movement: Boats and Objects, Blue Gray Sea
John Marin (American, 1870–1953) →ModernismCubismpaintingmodern and contemporary art
Date
1947
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
73.7 × 92.1 cm (29 × 36 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Alfred Stieglitz Collection; Robert A. Waller Fund
In late compositions such as Movement: Boats and Objects, Blue Gray Sea, John Marin used oil paint as thinly as he did watercolor, the medium for which he is best known. This work likely depicts the Maine coast, where Marin summered and painted throughout his career, exploring how best to express movement and spontaneity in paint. The artist practiced architecture before becoming a painter, and late in life he returned to three-dimensional design, creating painted frames that complement his pictures. Marin had a close relationship with Alfred Stieglitz, who supported him financially and critically from 1910 on and helped him become one of the most successful American Modernists.
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