Deer Isle Series
1927
Medium
watercolor and charcoal on wove paper1
Dimensions
overall: 40.9 x 49.5 cm (16 1/8 x 19 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John Marin, Jr.
Accession Number
1986.54.119
Art Historical Context
John Marin’s *Deer Isle Series (1927) captures the rugged beauty of Maine’s coastal landscapes, a recurring inspiration for the artist during his summer retreats to Deer Isle. A pioneering American modernist, Marin blended Post-Impressionist vigor with Cubist fragmentation, transforming nature into pulsating rhythms of color and form. This work, gifted by his son to the National Gallery of, reflects Marin’s deep affinity for the American wilderness in the interwar years, when he sought to convey the dynamic energy of wind-swept shores and crashing waves. Executed in watercolor and charcoal on...
About the Artist
John Marin
John Marin (1870-1953) was a pioneering American modernist known for his dynamic watercolors and oils of the Maine coast and New York City. A late bloomer who didn't commit to art until nearly 30, Marin developed a distinctive style combining European modernism with American subjects, capturing the energy of skyscrapers and the elemental power of the sea through fractured planes, vibrant color, an...