New Mexico Recollection No. 8 1923

Curator: Here we have Marsden Hartley’s “New Mexico Recollection No. 8,” painted in 1923. Editor: It's a striking landscape. I'm immediately drawn to the contrast between the heavy, almost theatrical sky and the stark, earthy foreground. Those intensely colored green forms feel so substantial. Curator: Hartley's relationship with place is always complex. After spending time in Europe, he embraced American themes. But New Mexico held a particular allure, a space to explore notions of American identity and landscape traditions in a modern context. Editor: I wonder about Hartley’s specific process here. The oil paint seems thickly applied in some areas, like in the foreground foliage, almost sculptural, giving these forms volume. What can we learn about Hartley’s touch and how it embodies or subverts conventions in terms of technique, or making? Curator: Good point, I believe that Hartley sought out this direct experience of painting "en plein air," connecting with the physical landscape as an almost spiritual act. This ties in with broader currents within Modernism. Think of Georgia O’Keeffe, or even the Regionalist movement. Editor: It also makes me question what "recollection" means here, then. This is not just a record but rather an interpretation of a particular place under a set of meteorological conditions using expressive materiality. Is the rain supposed to mean something other than water, maybe spiritual cleansing? Curator: It's a great question and worth pondering in terms of reception and audience. Remember, this was produced in the aftermath of the First World War. This landscape, with its stark beauty and intense contrasts, might be a reflection of a society grappling with trauma and searching for meaning. Editor: So the context pushes it toward themes about the sublime, or humanity and its complicated relations with forces both physical and psychic? This adds a richness when experiencing it. It helps tie technique with content. Curator: Absolutely. Hartley's landscapes serve as powerful reminders of the intertwined relationships between art, nature, and cultural memory. Editor: I now find it hard to experience this landscape without considering the weight and texture that embodies process itself. Thank you!