The Lumberjack 1908

Marsden Hartley made this drawing of a lumberjack with graphite on paper. The urgency of the man’s work is captured through the raw energy of line. You can imagine Hartley feeling a deep connection with this man and his labor. Hartley always had a thing for strong men, and he had a thing for work too. The marks aren’t precious, they get straight to the point – the man, the axe, the wood. It’s all there, efficient and direct. The slash of the axe as it hits the tree is mirrored in the slashing lines that surround it. Hartley’s known for his modernist landscapes and portraits, but here, it feels like he’s stripping things back, finding the essence of form and movement in the simplest way possible. He lets the drawing breathe, letting you feel the open air around the figure. It reminds you of other artists, like Van Gogh, who use drawing as a way of understanding the world.