$55,813
Marsden Hartley (American, 1877-1943) Rocky Coast / Possibly a Maine View Initialed "mh" l. l., signed or inscribed and dated (in pencil) "Marsden Hartley 1937-8" and label from Babcock Galleries, New York, on the reverse. Oil on board, 10 x 14 in. (25 x 35.7 cm), framed. Condition: Retouch, varnish inconsistencies and surface grime. N.B. As a native of Lewiston Maine, Marsden Hartley loved to paint the mountains and coast. He attended the National Academy of Design in New York where he studied under William Chase. By 1921, his role as a key component in American Modernism became clear and defined. Painting a breadth of subject matters, from abstract portraits to forceful landscapes, he traveled all over Europe and displayed his work in galleries with contemporary artists including Klee and Kandinsky. While his earlier work of still life and portrait paintings reflect a direct influence of the colors in the works of Matisse, his later pieces focus on nature. Hartley eventually returned to Maine, painting images of the coast in an attempt to capture the mood and dynamism of nature in his painterly brushstroke. Provenance: A private New England collection.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2003-09-12
