Sea Ghosts 1935

This is Marsden Hartley's painting of four spectral fish against a rusty brown background, bordered by an eerie, minty green. Imagine Hartley, standing at his easel, building up these soft, blurry edges. He’s coaxing the paint to blend, but not too much, letting each stroke live on its own. I wonder if he was thinking about the actual weight of fish, their slippery bodies, or maybe just the idea of them as symbols. Those blank, round eyes staring out, like portals to the unknown. The paint looks thin, almost watery in places, which adds to that sense of ghostly presence. I’m reminded a little of Albert Pinkham Ryder, another painter who wrestled with the unseen forces of nature, trying to capture something beyond the surface. Painters are always in conversation, picking up threads from the past, weaving them into something new. And it’s never about having all the answers, but more about keeping the questions alive, letting the painting breathe and shift with each viewing.