Song Of Winter 

Marsden Hartley's "Song of Winter" presents us with a landscape rich in symbolic undertones, painted with bold strokes and an unusual palette. The snowy mountains, traditionally symbols of purity and transcendence, here bear shades of lavender and rose, infusing the scene with an otherworldly, ethereal quality. Consider the "wanderer above the sea of fog" motif, made famous by Caspar David Friedrich. This image depicts solitude and the sublime, with the viewer often dwarfed by nature’s majesty. Hartley, however, invites us not to a confrontation, but to a communion, where winter’s starkness is softened. The juxtaposition of winter's traditional austerity with these vibrant colors creates a tension, reminiscent of ancient fertility rituals enacted even in the dead of winter, promising rebirth. This cyclical symbolism, etched into our collective memory, resonates as it evokes emotions of hope and renewal, engaging us on a subconscious level, much like the returning sun after the long winter night.