Movement, Bermuda 1916

Marsden Hartley made this painting, Movement, Bermuda, with oils. He was a real process guy, so I'm sure he would have enjoyed the act of arranging these shapes and colors. There's something pleasingly tactile about Hartley's style here. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paint, thick in some areas, thin in others, giving the whole thing a kind of depth. I especially like how the black circle floats within that soft pink shape. The paint there looks almost velvety, creating a quiet contrast against the angular geometry of the composition. It's this kind of playful tension that keeps me looking. Hartley's interest in simplified forms and bold compositions reminds me a bit of Stuart Davis. But where Davis’s work feels more urban and jazzy, Hartley is quieter, more introspective. It shows how the conversation of art moves through individual voices.