Still Life 1929

Marsden Hartley made this painting of fruit, just look at that red, that unbelievable red! I really love how Hartley's laid down the paint. It's thick and juicy, not trying to hide itself. The way the brushstrokes sit on the surface, you can almost feel the physicality of the medium. It's like he's wrestling with the paint to bring these grapes and apples to life. There's this one thick stroke of dark paint that outlines the apple. It's not perfect, not trying to be, but it holds the whole thing together, giving it a sense of weight and presence. Hartley wasn't about fussy detail; he was after something more raw. There's a directness to his work, like a conversation. It makes me think of Van Gogh and his passion for making color sing and for showing how painting is a process of feeling. I think Hartley makes art that speaks to me through this feeling.