John Marin

From John Marin by John Marin:

The only leadership I'll recognize if you can call it leadership is by the man who by his good works gives courage to those about him.

Watch those animals put their feet down - they have respect for the Earth.

The wave breaking on the shore - that starts something in the artist - makes for him to hum - that's the story - it's for the artist to make paint wave a breaking on paint shore
That takes nothing away from nor adds to the - wave a breaking on the shore for that exists in itself as a beautiful thing - therefore to assume to copy - is vile -
That wave a breaking on the shore can as I said - start - the start of a wonderful thing by the artist.

Seeing color on an object and seeing color on canvas are two different things. If you are sensitive to color you will place pigment on canvas until it shows itself as color - and if pigment is happily placed on canvas it can ignore the color of all objects - it asserts its own color - let objects assert theirs.

- life long love visions -

The head is apt to remove obstacles - the instinct is apt to go around obstacles."

To say something - What? Well first let's get rid of all - labels - Abstraction - nonobjectivism - all the whole stack of isms -
For are we not seeking the - work of art - which in every instance must obey its laws -
To define this - work of art - to make a stab at it - A certain man makes a drawing of a horse - Yes they say 'that is a recognizable drawing of a horse' - but to be a work of art the sensitive will have to eventually say - 'what a fine drawing' 'how well it places itself on the paper it's drawn on' -
'Why the paper and drawing are one' - 'how it balances' - "how it has all over it a feeling of flowing movement' 'and with it all how - Horsey - it looks'
and all drawing and all painting - whether of - mind seeing objects - or eye seeing objects - have to be recreated to live - of their own right - on this paper or canvas - not killing this great flat - this symbol for rest - whereon they have their movements.
Killing this flat - with the copyings of - mind as well as nature objects - has brought about the decadence of art in the different periods.
Many - so called - works of art come under the head of - Advertisements (and poor advertisements at that) and can be seen - in their all - immediately - that's their business.
A true work of art can stand many seeings - revealing anew at each seeing."

The sea that I paint may not be the sea but it is a sea.

Music is no more abstract than painting.

There is only one excuse for making a picture that being to kill distance
only one excuse for making music - to kill distance
only one excuse for writing - to kill distance
only one excuse for living - to kill distance
the loaf of bread distant from you does you no good -
Those unconscious things that affect You have become close to You without Your Knowing it.

Curious - the lover can hate - but the hater cannot love ...blessed be love