John Marin - Softcover

For a major exhibition this spring at the National Gallery, Fine has produced a handsome catalog of John Marin's art. A selection from 3000 works in the Marin Archives at the National Gallery are included, some recent gifts of the Marin family; their linear, rhythmic qualities particularly lend them to graphic representation. Carefully reproduced, the 175 color and 125 black-and-white illustrations embrace watercolors, drawings, etchings, and oils spanning a prolific career of over 40 years. Skillfully combining the biographical and the critical, and frequently quoting Marin himself, the footnoted text is a readable and authentic survey that will serve the novice and scholar alike. A detailed chronology and annotated bibliography increase the usefulness of this book, which is further enhanced by family photographs. An excellent starting point for studying Marin, this is recommended for school, university, public, and museum collections.
- Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

John Marin (1870-1953) brought a transparency and poise to watercolor that were new to American art. The catalogue of an exhibit of his oils, drawings, watercolors and etchings at the National Gallery of Art, this lavish biographical-critical tribute samples the many sides of Marin. There is the restless modernist--member of the circle of artists around photographer Alfred Stieglitz--whose staccato grids of interlocking lines and planes gave new meaning to the Brooklyn Bridge, pulsing city life or a seascape. There is the romantic lyricist, as seen in an exquisite pastel of Venice. There is the nature-worshipper whose celebration of unspoiled Maine almost amounts to an environmental statement. And there was the experimentalist who anticipated abstract trends. Easily dismissed as a painter's painter, Marin recorded flashes of illumination that instill hope and joy. Fine, a curator at the National Gallery, writes with perception of Marin's vision.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.