J ohn Marin had long been intrigued by the bustling spirit of New York and the liveliness of the towering structures themselves. In the catalogue introduction to his 1913 exhibition at 291 Gallery he wrote:
“You cannot create a work of art unless the things you behold respond to something within you. Therefore if these buildings move me they too must have life. Thus the whole city is alive; buildings, people, are all alive; and the more they move me the more I feel them to be alive.”
The success in John Marin’s versatile body of work lies in his ability to treat the Maine shoreline with as much skill as he does the New York City skyline. Downtown New York, Stock Exchange is a vibrant and energetic example of Marin’s engagement with the latter. Executed in 1914, the present work conveys the artist’s interest in the relationship between the city’s moving figures and buildings.
From the flat color planes to the sharp angular lines traced in charcoal, the geometric stylization of Marin’s composition contributes to this feeling of a living, breathing city. There is a certain fragmentation to this picture that speaks to the influence of Cubism on Marin, who would have seen the work of Picasso and Braque exhibited at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 show ten years prior in 1914 (Sheldon Reich, John Marin: Catalogue Raisonné, vol. II, Tucson, Arizona, 1970, p. 83). Through his heavy outlining of planar forms, Marin creates a dynamic composition that mirrors the vitality of downtown Manhattan and the particularly fast paced essence of the Financial District.
With Downtown New York, Stock Exchange, the orientation of the sheet complements the verticality of the facade’s Corinthian columns, allowing Marin to further emphasize the grandeur of this structure. Marin generally preferred pale hues in his watercolors, but the vibrant green color of the present work imbeds this bustling moment in time with even greater energy and emotion. Marin’s growing concern for color in the early 1920s did not go unnoticed. A review for Art News in 1923 following his exhibition at Montross remarked, “Marin’s color is richer and deeper, more sonorous” (Reich, ibid, 150).
Marin’s ability to create a balanced composition with equal concern for spatial awareness, perspective and distribution of color is central to the merits of Downtown New York, Stock Exchange. In addition to the flawless execution of such technical matters, Marin’s focus on the rhythm between the architectural and figural forms within this drawing speaks to his appreciation and understanding for the vibrant spirit of New York City life.