The Sea, Maine, 1921
John Marinexpand_more
Watercolor and charcoal on paperexpand_more
Gift of John and Myrtle Coeexpand_more 98.269.18
Not on Viewexpand_more
In establishing his modernist style, John Marin frequently turned to the untamed landscape for his subjects, especially the landscape of Maine. The New Yorker visited Maine every year, spending the summer of 1921 in Stonington, a picturesque fishing village on the southern shore of Deer Isle, one of the many islands along Maine’s coast. The Sea, Maine is a plein-air interpretation of the island’s rugged shoreline of granite outcroppings and windswept pine and spruce. In this dynamic meeting of land and sea, Marin united abstract and representational impulses, using gestural strokes, bold colors, and delicate washes to denote nature’s essential forms. His line and brushwork have an urgent, improvisational quality, conveying the rhythm and motion of wind and surf.
Details
- Title
- The Sea, Maine
- Artist Life
- 1870–1953
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 98.269.18
- Provenance
- The artist, New York and Maine (1921-at least 1947); (Downtown Gallery, New York, until 1956; sold September 29 to Coe); Myrtle and John I. Coe, Bloomington, Minn., 1956-98; given to MIA.
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Reich 1970, II, no. 21.63
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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