In 1931 John Marin completed four views from the town green of New Castle, Delaware:
In 1931 John Marin completed four views from the town green of New Castle, Delaware:
John Marin painted four views of buildings on the New Castle, Delaware, town green in 1931:
New Castle, founded in 1651, had a complex early history, changing names as it passed from the Netherlands to Sweden, to Great Britain. In 1704 New Castle became the capital of the colony of Delaware. Because the town’s historic architecture remained largely intact, it became a popular tourist site at the height of the Colonial Revival during the early 1920s.
Marin depicted buildings that border the New Castle Green, a focal point of town life. In painting View from the Green, Marin faced the town hall (built in 1823), the Sheriff’s House (partially visible, built in 1857), and the back of the courthouse (built in 1732).
In another view from the green, Third Street, New Castle, Delaware, Marin painted seven historic homes lining Third Street. Specific houses are recognizable because he included accurate architectural details. Silsbee’s Alley, through which a house on Fourth Street is visible, appears slightly to the left of the center of the composition. The tall brick house to the right of the alley is the Gemmill House, built around 1801. The building to the left of the alley is Rodney House, built in 1831.
Immanuel Church, New Castle, Delaware: Close View and Distant View represent one of the town’s most prominent colonial buildings and tourist attractions
In the less detailed Distant View, the entire Immanuel Church is seen from the southwest. Marin excluded the old two-story Academy building that stands at the northwest corner of the New Castle Green, which would have competed with the view of the church. The steeple, topped with a delicate cross in the full view, is dramatically framed by Marin’s treatment of the sky in triangular bands of blue.
The artist’s interest in historic ecclesiastic architecture began during his extended stay in Europe between 1905 and 1911 and endured throughout his career. Marin made etchings, drawings, and watercolors of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan (the National Gallery owns
Marin’s four views of New Castle’s historic center, painted quickly with active brushwork, waver between accuracy and modernism. He took interest in specific sites and details, such as particular houses on Third Street, the church clock, and the cupolas on the town hall and courthouse. His early training in architecture—he worked for six years as an architect before becoming an artist—may explain his eye for these aspects. In these four paintings, Marin took his greatest liberties with nature, experimenting with trees and sky to abstract and dramatize the scenes.
Robert Torchia
July 24, 2024
lower right: Marin 31; upper left and upper center reverse: (Old Swedish Church, New Castle, Delaware) 1931 / 18 x 14 SR#175[the "175" crossed out] 31.28; upper right reverse: NBM 2/21[or 27?]/84; center right reverse, upside down: 5201 / [illegible]
The artist [1870-1953]; his estate; by inheritance to his son, John C. Marin, Jr. [1914-1988], Cape Split, Maine; gift 1986 to NGA.
The fabric support was stretched over a piece of cardboard and adhered to it with glue; glue was only applied to the fabric folded over the reverse of the cardboard. There is no adhesive sticking the front of the painting to the board. The fabric’s bottom edge has cusping and nail holes from a previous use, so it is likely that the artist cut this segment from a larger prepared and stretched canvas and then attached it to the rigid support. The commercially prepared white ground remains exposed throughout and plays an active part in the design. The artist applied paint wet into wet with energetic brushwork and impasto. He scratched into the wet paint to define contours and imply areas of foliage. Under ultraviolet light there appears to be some retouching of the sky. Because the paint texture is much the same as in the areas of paint around it, this retouching appears to be an alteration by the artist. Other than minor abrasion and flattening in the impastos, and the grime that has accumulated on the unvarnished surface, the painting is in very good condition.
Michael Swicklik
July 24, 2024