Nudes in Sea

Some of Marin’s Cape Split seascapes incorporate voluptuous female nudes, who swim, wade, and sun themselves on rocks. His models included his wife and the couple’s neighbor, though many compositions were clearly imagined. When he started this watercolor, he addressed the seascape first, leaving the seven female forms in reserve. Marin later fleshed them out in pink, with darker red shading. He used black crayon to define the figures’ broken contours, underscoring each nude with a heavy, shiny black line to anchor the bodies on the rocks. Two horizontal lines in the sky seem to symbolize the unity of ocean and women in this world of abundant beauty.