American Artist Marsden Hartley

Abstract Modernist and Maine Regionalist Painter

Jul 6, 2008

One of America's first modernists, Hartley's diverse paintings reflect his distinct individuality.

Born in Maine on January 4, 1877, Marsden Hartley was raised by his older sister for several years following the death of their mother. Though he would eventually rejoin his father and stepmother in Ohio, a childhood sense of displacement and feeling almost abandoned would resonate throughout Hartley’s life. After some initial art training in Cleveland, Hartley eventually won a full scholarship to the National Academy of Design in New York.

Stieglitz and 291

Hartley's first big break as an artist came through his interpretations of the Maine landscape. The paintings intrigued photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who ran an influential Manhattan art gallery known as 291. 291 hosted Hartley’s solo exhibit in 1909, and through interacting with Stieglitz and his circle of artists and friends -- which included Stieglitz’s soon-to-be wife and painter Georgia O’Keeffe, early abstract painter Arthur Dove and photographer Paul Strand -- Hartley‘s perspectives began to broaden. Hartley was also influenced by the work of Henri Matisse and Paul Cezanne as displayed by Stieglitz at 291 during this timeframe, and both artists would effect a stronger use of color and form in Hartley’s own paintings.

Paris and Berlin

Hartley then traveled to Paris and widened his artistic circle even further. He met painter Charles Demuth and author Gertrude Stein, particularly connecting with Stein on psychologist and author William James‘ theories regarding the significance of individuality. Hartley found much inspiration in the social, artistic and intellectual breakthroughs of the early 1900s, particularly in the realm of self-expression. Also, even beyond the wave of modernism that he was then part of, Hartley enjoyed reading the poetry and writings of such 19th century American individualists as Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau.

World War I, however, would be troubling for Hartley. His close friend Karl von Freyburg was killed in battle, and the resulting depression -- combined with the fact that while Hartley was a strong individualist, he still could not be completely open about his sexuality -- inspired a cryptic series of paintings combining elements of war and the gay culture of Berlin. Hartley had moved to Germany in 1913 and prior to the war been painting intensely creative and abstract works. Unfortunately, while Hartley’s Berlin period would later be noted as one of the best of his career, sales from his paintings at this time were not good and Hartley became even further dispirited.

Back to Maine and Legacy

Following his return to the United States, Hartley shifted from abstract expressions to more focused works, particularly those which reflected American regionalism. Hartley made a visit to the burgeoning Taos, New Mexico art scene in 1918, and from there he traveled frequently until settling down back in his native Maine. In Maine, Hartley would again paint landscape studies and portraits, but from deeper, more emotional perspectives.

Constantly evolving in styles, Hartley’s experimentation and artistic reevaluation mirrored his quest for personal growth. Poet and writer as well as painter, he declared confidently in a letter to his sister: I do not paint pretty pictures; but when I am no longer here my name will register forever in the history of American art. Marsden Hartley died in 1943, and according to his own predictions, his work can be seen at such major institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Walker Art Center, The North Carolina Museum of Art and The Art Institute of Chicago -- to name a few.

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