Cash Entry Mines: creating from afar
Marsden Hartley: The Biography of an American Painter Townsend Ludington Lately I’ve been reading about Maine authors and painters ( see Great Spruce Head Island, see Art Week!). Actually I’ve always had an interest in Marsden Hartley. Ever since I saw this painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, where I was simply drawn in. It is in the same gallery as Night Hawk and Georgia O’Keefe, whose subject matter is somewhat similar. There was something about Cash Entry Mines, New Mexico , 1920 that spoke to me. Maybe it was how big nature is or the color palette: dun, washed red, faded black lines, sand colors. We can never know exactly what will touch us, but I suspect it has to do with peace. I bought at a library sale a monograph about Hartley and I learned that while living one summer in Nova Scotia with a local family the family lost 2 sons and another family member. Their boat was caught in a storm and the lads were lost at sea. This was devastating not only...