Marsden Hartley - The Modernist Magician of American Scene Painting

Born on January 4, 1877 in Lewiston, Maine, USA, to English parents, Marsden Hartley was a famous American Modernist writer and painter of the early 20th century. In 1892, the Hartley family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Institute of Art was his first formal art training center. At the age of 22 in 1899, the artist moved to the New York City. Here he studied art at the National Academy of Design and under American painter William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) at the Art Students League of New York. In the city, American photographer and art promoter Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) noticed Marsden in 1909. He associated the artist with Stieglitz' 291 Gallery Group. With this group, Hartley first exhibited in 1909 and then in 1912. Through the Group, the artist was also introduced to the works of Paul Cezzane (French, 1839-1906) and Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973). The creative exposure deeply inspired Hartley's ideas

In 1912, Marsden went to Europe, including Paris. Here, his style showed a sharp Abstract tilt due to his friendly influence of Wassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1866-1944), Franz Marc (German, 1880-1916), and the Fauves (1900-07). In May 1913, the artist left for Germany to return to America in November. In 1914, he again went to Germany, Berlin to be specific. A gay, here Hartley got close to a German soldier Karl von Freyburg. His 'Portrait of a German Officer' (1914) was an ode to Karl, who was killed in World War I in 1914, deeply shaking Hartley. In December 1915, the artist returned to New York. He worked in Provincetown, Maine, California, and New York before again travelling to Europe, especially France, in 1921.

Magician

Marsden Hartley moved to several cities through his life, including USA and Europe, mainly Western, during the early 20th century. Full of Modernism, his works incorporated the concepts of Expressionism and Cubism as well. By 1920's, Marsden paintings became increasingly representational. He was regarded more as a nomadic painter due to his frequent depiction of rustic landscapes, expressing his strong Romantic attachment to his native land. Marsden returned to America in 1930 and traveled extensively, while working mostly in Maine. Towards the end of his life, the artist wanted to portray American life vis-à-vis his native land. Accordingly, his last paintings, mainly coastal or mountain scenes were painted in the Regionalist or American Scene Painting flavor.

In addition to painting, Marsden Hartley also composed poetry and wrote on Modern Art. 'Cleophas and his own: A North Atlantic Tragedy' (Fall 1936) was a story based on the artist's experiences in 1935 and 1936, when he stayed with the Mason's Family in the Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The family extended the love that Hartley was deprived of in his childhood at Maine. Inspired, the artist portrayed the Masons in several of his paintings too, post 1936. The artist reprinted the book as 'Marsden Hartley and Nova Scotia.' In this version, he expressed immense grief at the tragic drowning of Mason sons. The artist died on September 02, 1943, in Maine. In 2005, Michael Maglaras, a filmmaker, even created a movie on the book Cleophas and his own. Hartley's testament has been employed as the movie's screenplay.

Marsden Hartley - The Modernist Magician of American Scene Painting

Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited.