The Brook, Tyrol Series I exemplifies a pivotal moment in John Marin’s artistic development as he embraced novel painting techniques and situated himself at the vanguard of American art. Marin produced the present work while visiting the Tyrol region of Western Austria in 1910. Returning to New York in 1911, Marin's European watercolors, including The Brook, Tyrol Series I were exhibited in his second solo show at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 gallery, where they drew critical acclaim.

Marin's varied watercolor techniques included blotting, wetting, wiping, and scraping off pigment to develop rich compositions that convey the hazy alpine atmosphere and swift-moving water of the mountain stream. Unlike many of his modernist contemporaries, who continued to travel to Europe throughout their careers, Marin’s 1910 trip would be his last. The artist, did, however continue to travel throughout the United States, settling into a seasonal traveling and painting routine that enabled him to capture diverse American scenes, from cityscapes to the rural countryside. Major institutions have recognized the significance of Marin's Tyrol series; other examples can be found in the collections of The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, among others.