Purple Mountains, Vence 1926

In Marsden Hartley’s 'Purple Mountains, Vence', the mountains emerge in hues of lavender and violet, punctuated by snow-capped peaks. You can almost feel Hartley's hand moving across the canvas, layering color upon color, searching for the right balance. I can imagine him standing before the canvas, squinting at the landscape, trying to capture the essence of the mountains. What must he have been thinking as he daubed those strokes of green and pink across the lower fields? Did he struggle to find the right shade of purple to convey the majesty of the mountains? There’s a boldness to his brushstrokes, a confidence in his color choices, but also a vulnerability. Look at the way the paint is applied, thick in some areas, thin in others. He's in conversation with artists like Cezanne, but finding his own voice, too. Ultimately, painting is an ongoing exchange of ideas, each artist building upon the foundations laid by those who came before. Hartley's canvas is a reminder that ambiguity and uncertainty can be powerful tools, inviting us to engage with the artwork on our own terms.