John Marin

John Marin , 1870-1953, American landscape painter, b. Rutherford, N.J. After a year at Stevens Institute of Technology, he worked for four years as an architectural draftsman. At 28 he entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in 1905 went abroad, where he painted and etched and lived precariously for several years. In 1909 his work was exhibited at Stieglitz's gallery in New York City. He was quickly recognized as a leading American watercolorist. Marin painted scenes of New York, Taos, and particularly Maine seascapes, which he rendered with a few powerful zigzag strokes, often employing angular abstract forms to enclose the composition. His color ranged from subtle, delicate tones to bold, eerie effects. Marin's work in oil and watercolor is in more than 40 public collections in the United States.

Bibliography: See his letters edited by H. J. Seligman (1931, repr. 1970); study by H. MacKinley (1948, repr. 1970).

Marin, John (1870–1953). American painter and printmaker. From 1905 to 1910 he lived in Europe, mainly Paris, where he was influenced by Whistler's watercolours and etchings, but he first came into contact with avant-garde movements after his return to America, when he became a member of Stieglitz's circle. The Armory Show also made a great impact on him. Responding especially to German Expressionism and the late work of Cézanne, he developed a distinctive semi-abstract style that he used most characteristically in powerful watercolours of city life and the Maine coast (where he often painted in the summer). His oil paintings (which became more important in his work from the 1930s) are often similar in effect to watercolours, leaving parts of the canvas bare. Marin also made etchings, especially early in his career. From the 1920s he enjoyed a high reputation. He was an individualist, belonging to no movement, and one of the finest watercolourists of the 20th century.