Untitled (Green and White)

All of the Art Institute’s watercolors by Marin painted between 1917 and 1926 contain charcoal, which the artist employed to summon a range of tonal and textural effects. Here he drew an economical, linear design and used a rag or stump to disperse the charcoal, creating a smooth gray tone. He dragged his brush, wet with water or pale green wash, over other charcoal marks, spreading the material in a broad halo around the initial line. While watercolor manuals warned against using charcoal in combination with the aqueous medium because of the likelihood of smearing, Marin embraced the unconventional effects he could achieve by manipulating the two media in tandem.