A Rolling Sky, Paris, After Storm

One of 15 watercolors that Marin showed at the 1908 Salon d’Automne in Paris, this early work was also included in his first exhibition at Stieglitz’s Little Galleries of the Photo Secession (known simply as 291) in the spring of 1909. A view of barges along the Seine River at the Petit Pont, the watercolor is crowned by gradually dissipating gray and purple storm clouds. Fragile beams of sunlight begin to break through, creating a mood balanced between ominous and hopeful. The artist harnessed his color palette to subtly communicate the feelings associated with a departing storm: touches of pink and yellow indicate that the worst is over, while darker and cooler washes capture the lingering aura of the deluge.