Building

Here Marin created a compelling celebration of monumental architecture in a small format. He stationed himself in Central Park, facing the Plaza Hotel, and selected a true watercolor paper that would hold up to heavy applications of water and pigment. He did not rely on an initial pencil drawing, but instead worked quickly and loosely, tamping his brush repeatedly to capture the effect created by the hotel’s hundreds of shimmering windows. Leaving many areas of the paper white to show through his varied marks, Marin approximated the way the eye might move rapidly across such a scene. Later he attached an extra strip of paper along the bottom edge to denote activity on the street, making the Plaza seem more distant and emphasizing its height.