Untitled: Circus

c. 1953

John Marin

Associated Names
John Marin

Painter, American, 1870 - 1953

The image shows swirling lines and undefined shapes on a blue background. Patches of soft pink and brown brushstrokes create fluid motion. The forms can be interpreted as clouds or water in motion, with colors and shapes suggesting natural elements like waves or mist. Linear strokes and overlapping colors give the composition an energetic yet indistinct quality.
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Beginning in 1934, the circus became a major theme in John Marin’s art, possibly because it served as a metaphor for the city or signified the human condition. The artist’s interest in the subject intensified in his last years, and this oil painting probably dates from 1953. Here the energetic, rapidly applied brushstrokes, contrasting paint textures, and diverse repertoire of forms create a sense of the intense excitement generated by a circus performance.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of John Marin, Jr.

  • Dimensions

    overall: 56.1 x 71.1 cm (22 1/16 x 28 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.54.12

More About this Artwork

This nearly square painting shows an industrial area with buildings, storage silos, a smokestack, and railroad tracks. A mound of brown dirt or other material is in shadow in the lower left corner of the painting. Next to the mound, railroad tracks extend diagonally from the lower center of the painting into the distance to our right. The tracks end at a white building with staggered gray rooflines to our right in the distance. A tall terracotta-red smokestack rises high beyond the white building, smoke pouring out of its top and blending into the clouds above. Just beyond the mound of dirt, piles of white material, perhaps in unseen bins, line the railroad track to our left and lead back to a row ten interconnected, coral-orange silos. The horizon comes about halfway up the painting, and it is lined with a row of long white and gray warehouses. The artist signed and dated the work with brown paint in the lower right corner: “Sheeler 31.”

Scholarly Series:  American Paintings, 1900–1945

Scholarly Article:  American Paintings, 1900–1945: Untitled: Circus, c. 1953

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1870-1953]; his estate; by inheritance to his son, John C. Marin, Jr. [1914-1988], Cape Split, Maine; gift 1986 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 234, repro.

Inscriptions

across top stretcher bar reverse: unfinished - of circus - Archives ["unfinished", "of", and "Archives" crossed out] Untitled: Circus, ca. 1953 - 22 x 28 NO SR# NBM 1/13/84

Wikidata ID

Q20194702

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