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JOHN MARIN (1870-1953)

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<div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div> <div>John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom. </div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div>The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form. </div>
Sea Movement, Maine193715 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.(39.37 x 52.07 cm) watercolor on paper
Provenance
The Estate of the Artist
Kennedy Galleries, New York
Richard York Gallery, New York
A Maine Perspective: The Collection of a New England Gentleman
Grogan & Company, November 17, 2019, lot 53
Private Collection
Exhibition
New York, The Willard Gallery, John Marin Paintings of the 1930s, March 2- April 3, 1965
Loretto, Pennsylvania, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Masters of American Watercolor: A 100 Year Anniversary, June 17-September 10, 1995
Waterville, Maine, Colby College Museum of Art, John Marin in Maine...More..., June 24-September 27, 1998, no. 13
Literature
Sheldon Reich, John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné, 1970, vol. 2, no. 37.19
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John Marin’s "Sea Movement, Maine" (1937) exemplifies his dynamic approach to watercolor, a medium he transformed into one of the most expressive vehicles of early American modernism. Painted during his mature period, the work captures the restless energy of the Maine coast—a subject Marin returned to repeatedly as a source of inspiration. Quick, gestural strokes convey the surging sea and jagged rocks, while washes of deep blue, gray, and black evoke both immediacy and atmosphere. Marin’s hallmark ability to fuse abstraction with observation is evident here: the composition is at once faithful to the rhythms of the natural world and liberated in its expressive freedom.


 


The significance of this work is underscored by its inclusion in Sheldon Reich’s 1970 catalogue raisonné (no. 37.19) and its exhibition history in two museum shows, affirming its place within Marin’s celebrated body of Maine seascapes. "Sea Movement, Maine" stands as a vivid testament to the artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating nature’s vitality into painterly form.
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