Hartley, Marsden (1877-1943), was one of the first American painters to experiment with cubism and abstract art. By about 1920 he had returned to a representational style, often using landscape or marine themes. However, his representational paintings show the influence of his earlier abstract work in their emphasis on pattern and simplification of shapes. Hartley’s trips abroad during the 1920’s and 1930’s helped shape his choice of subjects, ranging from Bavarian alps to Mexican deserts. In his later years, he painted some of his most familiar and moving scenes of Maine, honoring the people and the land.
Hartley was born in Lewiston, Me. He studied with artist William Merritt Chase in New York and exhibited in the gallery of photographer Alfred Stieglitz, a supporter of pioneering modern artists.
