Circus Horses

Prints and Drawings

c. 1941

John Marin
American, 1870-1953

Marin delighted in making rapid sketches of circus animals and performers. Friends recall him drawing furiously with two hands, rarely looking at his paper as he worked. He was intent on capturing the complete sensation of the circus with the simplest means, evoking excitement through touches of color and movement through the rapid, directional gestures of his pencil or crayon. Small graphite and colored-pencil drawings on Mylar, such as this example, suggest how Marin might have made intermediate tracings from his circus sketchbooks, adding more detail and color as he developed an idea for a larger work.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: John Marin
Title: Circus Horses
Place: United States (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1936–1946
Medium: Graphite and colored pencil, with incising, on mylar
Dimensions: 18.5 × 24 cm (7 5/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by Meg and Mark Hausberg in honor of Martha Tedeschi
Reference Number: 2010.353

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