Pink and White Flowers in a Vase

Marsden Hartley painted still lifes throughout his career, but after 1916, his approach became noticeably simpler and more direct. During a stay in Provincetown and later in Bermuda, he began reducing his compositions to a few essential elements—often a single vase of flowers placed close to the picture plane. At times, he even painted floral arrangements against flat black backgrounds on glass, drawing on the tradition of German folk art.

In Pink and White Flowers in a Vase, Hartley continues this process of simplification. The flowers stand alone, without any suggestion of a table or interior setting. Instead, the forms are built up with thick, energetic brushwork in muted grays, greens, blacks, and whites, punctuated by touches of pink. The bold outlines and heavy impasto anticipate the expressive surfaces that would become characteristic of Hartley’s work in the 1930s. A pencil inscription on the stretcher, written by an unknown hand, dates the painting to 1929.

P.S. Our Flowers in Art postcards are full of beautiful floral artworks! Check them out in the DailyArt Shop.

P.P.S. Get to know Marsden Hartley and his art!