John Marin Felt That True Art Was Purely Abstract
John Marin felt that true art was purely abstract, and he was very resistant to the scientific explanations of his time. In fact, he felt that true art was essentially non-objective. Although he was a major influence on Cezanne, his ethos was not his own. He merely saw painting techniques as a mask for the materials they conceal. He felt that the substance of art lay in its visual language.
Marin began his career painting landscapes in watercolours, and he was drawn to their delicacy and large scale. However, he grew increasingly uncomfortable with the new “action painters” who were tearing nature apart. While he was out of step with contemporary art, he still understood the power of abstraction and leaned on what he saw. His oeuvre includes a wide range of paintings.
The early modernist, John Marin, felt that true art was purely abstract. He was a watercolorist, a medium he liked to use for delicate drawings. The delicacy of watercolor made it an excellent choice for large-scale paintings. Although out of date with the “action painters” of the time, he did not shy away from the idea of making his art as abstract as possible. Instead, he relied on what he saw to make his art.
As an artist, John Marin felt that true art was purely abstract, and the simplest way to achieve this was through repetition. He created a large number of watercolor paintings during his career. While most of these works are still considered to be abstract, the abstract movement has become very popular. The more people embrace the realism of painting, the more people are likely to be enamored with it.
The term “pure” was used to define the ideal of modernism. In reality, it was as ambiguous as the paintings themselves. The term could be used to describe a painting, whether it was a landscape by John Marin, or a hermetic abstract painting by Arthur Dove. Its meaning was a broader concept, as it was a combination of a subject and a style.
While Marin’s paintings were influenced by cubism and the new action painters, his earliest works were largely abstract and non-figurative. He favored large, flat colors and a fluid approach to paint, which he saw as a true expression of the artist’s intentions. Despite the apparent lack of meaning in these works, they remain powerful and expressive. So it’s easy to see why he felt a need to make this transition into the nonfigurative realm.
