Woolworth Building, No. 2

In John Marin's Woolworth Building, No. 2, the newly completed skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert (1859–1934) dominates Manhattan's jumbled skyline of low-rise nineteenth-century riverfront buildings. As New York's first skyscraper, the "Cathedral of Commerce," which was far taller than any church steeple, launched the city's modern era with the towering structure symbolizing progress and innovative technology. In Marin's print, the new tower seems to rise even higher than the setting sun, represented by a series of radiating lines to the left of center. For almost seventeen years the Woolworth Building would reign as the world's tallest building. Rather than emphasizing its dizzying height by means of precisely straight verticals, however, Marin used short, freely drawn lines to animate the scene with movement and urban energy.

Marin taught himself the technique of etching during his several years' stay in Europe early in his career. The print images of New York he made shortly after he returned permanently in 1911, which include Brooklyn Bridge, No. 6 (TF 1995.15) in addition to Woolworth Building, No. 2, were inspired by his wonder at the modern transformation of the metropolis during his absence. He was astounded not only by its architectural growth but by its dynamic spirit. In speaking about his New York images displayed in a 1913 exhibition, the artist described his feeling that "The whole city is alive: buildings, people, all are alive; and the more they move me the more I feel them to be alive. It is this 'moving of me' that I try to express, so that I may recall the spell I have been under…."  The aura of vitality that Marin communicates in this print infected other artists, as demonstrated in Abraham Walkowitz's New York #1 (TF 1995.48). One of four etchings Marin made of the Woolworth Building, Woolworth Building, No. 2 also documents the appearance of lower Manhattan before it became crowded with skyscrapers.

Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999. [exh. cat.]

On Process: The American Print, Technique Examined, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 2, 2001.

Debating American Modernism: Stieglitz, Duchamp, and the New York Avant-Garde, American Federation of Arts, New York, New York (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 30–November 30, 2003. [exh. cat.]

John Marin's Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, January 22–April 17, 2011; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, June 18–September 11, 2011. [exh. cat.]

In the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in the Art of the United States, 1893-1976 (Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893–1976). Terra Foundation for American Art and Pinacoteca de São Paulo (organizers). Venue: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, August 27, 2022–January 30, 2023. [exh. cat.]

Zigrosser, Carl. The Complete Etchings of John Marin. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1969. No. 114. [Philadelphia Museum of Art has 180 Marin etchings and some related plates]

Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]

Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]

Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. American Moderns, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Ill. no. 7, p. 65 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]

Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. L'Amérique et les modernes, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Ill. no. 7, p. 65 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]

Tedeschi, Martha with Kristi Dahm. John Marin's Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism. (exh. cat., The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago and New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010. Text, pp.122; ill. pl. 43, p. 118 (color).

Piccoli, Valéria, Fernanda Pitta, and Taylor Poulin. Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893-1976. (exh. cat., Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and Terra Foundation for American Art). São Paulo, Brazil: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, 2022. Pl. p. 46 (color).