Movement No. 10 1917

Here is a painting by Marsden Hartley, probably made in the early part of the 20th century, in which solid forms emerge from a dark background in muted browns, blacks, and yellows. I imagine Hartley, standing before his canvas, moving and shifting elements like a kind of choreography. I can imagine the painting came into being through trial, error, and intuition. The canvas looks like it has absorbed the history of its making. It is thick and warm to the eye. The brushstrokes carry so much feeling, and it must have taken him a while to arrive at the balance we see here. The pear and banana are simple, everyday objects, yet they seem elevated here. You can almost see Cezanne in this painting. Hartley is in dialogue with those giants! I think painting is a form of embodied expression. It is a conversation between artists across time, inspiring one another’s creativity, and embracing ambiguity.