New York Skyline, Boats in Foreground

This view of New York looks southwest from the Manhattan Bridge over the East River and its wharves. Marin began with a pencil sketch, taking care that major structures like the tall, domed spire of the Singer Building would be recognizable. He then applied dilute washes of blues and purples to the lightweight sketchbook sheet, carefully preserving the crisp outlines of his drawing. He intended it to serve as a model and marked the sheet with the color notations “yellow sky” at upper right and “green” at lower left. This study, sketched on the spot, became the basis for a more fully realized watercolor that the artist finished with an orange sun and dots of orange across the sky.