CONEY ISLAND BEACH #1
Reginald Marsh (1898-1954)
(SASOWSKY 191)
Etching, 1939, on J Whatman laid paper, signed, dated, titled and inscribed in pencil, from the edition of 17
Plate 9 7/8 x 12 inches; 251 x 305 mm
Sheet 11 1/8 x 14 inches; 283 x 356 mm
A fine impression of this rather rarely seen print.
Marsh routinely inscribed prints with the notation “ed. 40”; this was perhaps a hoped-for edition size, but the actual “edition” was 17 – Marsh generally made prints as they were ordered.
Marsh was a student of human anatomy as depicted in the drawings and paintings of the great masters – Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and others. In his volume Anatomy for Artists he portrayed hundreds of drawings of the human form, in many cases borrowing from these artists, as well as providing drawings that he conceived. In each case of a “borrowed” drawing or figure he annotated the drawing as “from da Vinci” or “from Michelangelo”. Coney Island Beach #1 could be viewed as a sample compendium of these classic drawings; indeed, it is reminiscent in structure and substance of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgement” fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.