Marsden Hartley
Marsden Hartley was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist. A leading member of the Stieglitz group, Hartley was a pioneer American modernist whose knowledge of French avant-garde styles and close association with the innovative German painters known as Der Blaue Reiter led him to invent one of the most innovative painting styles of the early 20th century.
Hartley traveled to Paris in 1912 and encountered the work of Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso, along with other French modernists at the home of the prominent American collectors Gertrude and Leo Stein. In 1913 Hartley moved on to Berlin, and became associated with the expressionist artists Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, with whom he exhibited at the Herbstsalon, an important display of avant-garde German art.
Beginning with his return to the United States in 1915, Hartley moved away from his former abstract style and, forever moving from place to place, produced a remarkable variety of expressive landscapes, still life compositions, and unconventional portraits. His exceptionally fine late Mount Katahdin landscapes secured his legacy as one of the greatest of all American modernists.
June is a LGBTQIA+ month, and today's work is a part of our celebrations. Enjoy! :)