Information on John Marin American, 1870–1953 Movement, Boat, Sea and Sky, Maine, 1944 Oil on canvas, 22 x 28 1/8 in. Bequest of Helen M. Jones 1986.9

Subject Matter In John Marin’s Movement, Boat, Sea and Sky, Maine, everything is in motion. A sailboat surges on a rough, red and green ocean. A patch of white cloud moves across the sky. Much of the canvas is blank. Color appears mainly in nature: the sea and the cloud. Heavy black outlines indicate man-made forms, like the boat and possibly a pier. Opposing diagonal brush strokes represent the turmoil of the sea. Paint was applied in many areas with a dry brush. In some places, the paint is thick, in others thin like a watercolor wash.

Movement, Boat, Sea and Sky, Maine is one of 89 Marin paintings with the word movement in the title. Marin was fascinated by movement, representing it in works like this one, where nature and objects are indeed moving, as well as in cityscapes, where buildings appear to lean and stretch.

About the Artist John Marin was born in Rutherford, New Jersey. After beginning as an architect, he studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia from 1899 to 1901, and at the Art Students’ League in New York from 1901 through 1903.

From 1905 until 1909, he was in Europe, where his style was relatively unaffected by Cubist and Fauvist experimentation. While there, he met Edward Steichen, an associate of Alfred Steiglitz whose Photo- Secession Gallery in New York had begun to champion the cause of American modernist artists (Hartley, Dove, O’Keeffe) and photographers. When Marin returned to New York, he met Stieglitz and became a member of his circle and came into contact with avant-garde ideas.

After a second trip to Europe in 1910–11, his paintings were greatly influenced by Cubist and Futurist fracturing of space. Unlike the Cubists, however, he was interested in atmospheric effects. His space depends on tension and balance. His images are never static but express a world of restless change. By 1913, when he was represented in the Armory Show, his style had matured, and it remained basically the same throughout his life.

A flamboyant artist who wore large hats, flowing ties, and long hair, Marin loved New York and the Maine coast. The ocean, the countryside, and the city were his constant motifs. He died in New Jersey in 1953, just before his 83rd birthday.

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John Marin Movement, Boat, Sea and Sky, Maine, 1944

Quotes from the Artist You cannot create a great work of art unless the things you behold respond to something in you. . . the whole city is alive; buildings, people, all are alive; and the more they move me, the more I feel them to be alive. It is this “moving of me” that I try to express… John Marin, 1913

To produce one’s best—one had better be comfortable, with all the doors locked and the fire burning brightly—and have a big watchdog to guard against the fanatics of the world. John Marin at age 71, during World War II

Strategies for Tours Primary Grades (ages 6–8): Name what you see in the picture. Name the colors used. Imagine where the sailboat is going. Is this a portrait, landscape, or still life? Upper Elementary (ages 9–11): [Discuss the use of complementary colors on the ocean. Explain the tension between colors opposite one another on the color wheel.] Why might Marin want to use this color tension in this picture? What is the sailboat doing? Why do you think part of the canvas is blank? In which directions do the lines go? Which seem to move? Which lines stand still? Is the painting symmetrical, asymmetrical? Is it balanced, or weighted to one side? Middle School/High School (ages 12–18): [Use questions above.] Is this a realistic or abstract picture? Explain your answer. Why would Marin use color in this way? Why such heavy black lines? Is there any sign of human life in the painting? If so, where and how? If not, why not? Is the canvas entirely covered in paint? Is the paint thick or thin? Is the space shown in the painting flat or deep? Adolescents and Adults: [Ask members of the group to describe coastal areas they have visited. Are there similarities to or differences from this scene.] Where is movement indicated in the picture? What indications of human presence are in the picture? Does anything suggest the artist’s architectural training? [Discuss Marin’s life and aesthetic interests.]

Sources Worth Consulting John Marin: Between Realism and Abstraction. New York: Kennedy Galleries, 1997. Kramer, Hilton. John Marin: The Painted Frame. New York: Richard York Gallery, 2000. Reich, S. John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 1970.

Prepared by Joan K. Clapp Date 11/20/95 theMcNay