L'Opera, Paris

By 1908 Marin’s etchings often revealed a tension between two impulses: the careful, realistic description of major monuments, inspired by the weight and solemnity of Charles Meryon’s prints; and the sketchier economy of Whistler’s distilled, light-filled works. In both modes, the artist remained committed to precision, exploiting the power of line to capture the salient aspects of a place. Ambitious, finely rendered compositions such as L’Opera, Paris; Notre Dame; and <em<Chartres Cathedral, while demonstrating his highly original use of the etched mark, also gave Marin’s print dealers the kind of souvenirs of famous monuments that they could readily sell to tourists.