Canuck Yankee Lumberjack at Old Orchard Beach, Maine. By Marsden Hartley. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution
American artist Marsden Hartley travelled extensively throughout his life, labelling himself “the painter of Maine“. Indeed the state’s rugged, lush landscape recurs in many forms throughout the artist’s extensive body of work, revealing a continued attachment to and dialogue with his homeland. The retrospective exhibition at The Met Breuer features 90 of Hartley’s paintings and drawings, leading the viewer on a chronological journey from sombre, dark landscapes to abstract cubist influenced figures during World War I to Cézanne-esque seaside scenes and homoerotically tinged portraits of working class men. The display pays homage to Hartley’s unique vision, creative variety and his continued significance within the American modernist movement.
Marsden Hartley’s Maine runs until 18th June 2017 on Floor 3 at The Met Breuer, New York
