Flowers in Goblet #2 1923

Marsden Hartley created this drawing, Flowers in Goblet #2, using dark gestural marks on paper. I imagine him in his studio, squinting at some flowers, trying to get them down quickly. It's all dark strokes, like he’s hunting for the essence of the goblet and the bloom. I feel like he's wrestling with the image, allowing it to emerge through trial and error. The paint—or ink—is thinned out, almost watery. See that one bold stroke defining the base of the goblet? That communicates a feeling of spontaneity. Hartley often played with these themes of still life and the poetics of objects, as did his contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe, though she went in a more sensual direction. I see a conversation happening between these artists and so many more across time. Painting is an ongoing exchange of ideas. There’s no single way to read this; let the image speak to you.