Untitled: Circus, c. 1953

Beginning in 1934, the circus became a major theme in John Marin’s art. Ruth Fine noted that this subject “undoubtedly served in some respects as a metaphor for the city,” and that it would also “have signified the human condition in much the same way it did for other artists of the period, from Picasso to Walt Kuhn.”[1]  [1]
Ruth Fine, John Marin (Washington, DC, 1990), 256. Marin’s fascination may have been stimulated by his familiarity with the popular Circus in Paint exhibition that had been held at the Whitney Studio Galleries in 1929. This interest intensified in his last years; in 1950 he executed a series of six watercolors of the subject, and in 1952 he painted two oils.[2]  [2]
Sheldon Reich, John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné (Tucson, 1970). These are, respectively, the Circus Scenes (R. 50.4–R. 50.9), The Circus No. 1 (R. 52.46), and The Circus No. 2 (R. 52.47). This untitled painting is not listed in Sheldon Reich’s catalogue raisonné of Marin’s work, but its stylistic similarity to The Circus of 1953 (R. 53.12) suggests that it was also executed in 1953, probably with the aid of earlier sketches that Marin had made during a performance.[3]  [3]
Sheldon Reich, John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné (Tucson, 1970).

The majority of Marin’s circus subjects, such as the watercolors Circus Elephants (R. 41.10 and R. 41.11) and the oil painting Circus Clown (R. 44.3), represent clearly defined and recognizable images of animals and performers. Reich observed that these early figural works “often present a rather disconcerting world populated by helpless dolls.”[4]  [4]
Sheldon Reich, John Marin: A Stylistic Analysis and Catalogue Raisonné (Tucson, 1970), 1:210. The remarkable freedom and spontaneity of this very late and nearly abstract oil is closely related to some of the graphite and colored pencil sketches that Marin drew in his sketchbook while he attended the circus.

The artist was primarily concerned with capturing the circus’s rhythmic, centrifugal movement that nearly subsumes all details. From a vantage point high up in the stands, the viewer looks down over the heads of other spectators in the right foreground and views the equestrian performers in the illuminated ring. The rectangular configuration at the upper left of the composition is probably a trapeze, and calligraphic lines across the top may indicate its trajectory through the air, as well as the steps and seats in the opposite side of the stands. The energetic, rapidly applied brushstrokes, contrasting paint textures, and diverse repertoire of forms coalesce to create a sense of the intense excitement generated by a circus performance.

Robert Torchia

July 24, 2024