Woolworth Building, No. 32 [recto]

1913

John Marin

Associated Names
John Marin

Artist, American, 1870 - 1953

The image features a collection of curving lines and soft, fluid forms. These shapes resemble the silhouette of a seated figure draped in flowing fabric, as if seated on a rocky surface facing away from the viewer. Pastel colors like blues, purples, and hints of pink are used, evoking a calm landscape. The watercolor creates a blurred, misty effect, adding to the dreamlike quality. Dots and lines provide texture, reminiscent of garment detailing or natural elements.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor over graphite

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

  • Dimensions

    overall: 46.5 x 39.7 cm (18 5/16 x 15 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1967.13.11.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Reich 1970, 12.69

Associated Artworks

The image shows a soft and ethereal view, possibly from a park or outdoor urban space. The perspective is from ground level, looking up at the sky with trees and a faint architectural structure in the background. The horizon is not sharply defined, blending into the scene without clear boundaries. The brushstrokes are delicate, creating a watercolor effect with blurred edges. The color palette is muted and pastel, with gentle hues of creams, light blues, lavenders, and subtle greens, giving a serene and dreamlike aesthetic. Indistinct shapes near us hint at a low fence or path, while in the distance, a building is faintly visible through the soft colors.

Woolworth Building [verso]

John Marin

1913

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1913

  • International Exhibition of Modern Art [The Armory Show], Association of American Painters and Sculptors, Armory of the Sixty-Ninth Infantry, New York, 1913, no. 142 (not shown in Chicago or Boston).

2001

  • Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001, no. 29.

Bibliography

1963

  • Brown, Milton W. The Story of the Armory Show. New York, 1963: 265, no. 142.

1970

  • Reich, Sheldon. John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1970, no. 12.69.

1990

  • Fine, Ruth E. John Marin. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1990, p. 127, pl. 114.

2000

  • Modern Art and America: Alfred Stieglitz and His New York Galleries. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2001: no. 29.

2018

  • Wagner, Ann Prentice and Josephine White Rodgers. Becoming John Marin: Modernist at Work, Exh. cat. Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, 2018: 19-20, fig. 2.11.

Inscriptions

lower left: Marin 13

Markings

None.

Watermarks

None.

Wikidata ID

Q64582865

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