Storm Wave 1939 - 1940

Marsden Hartley made this painting, Storm Wave, with oil on board. Can’t you just imagine him there at the coast, the wind and spray, trying to capture the energy of the ocean? The paint looks thickly applied, as though he wanted to create a sense of the ocean’s texture. See how the rocks meet the water? The colour palette of browns, creams, and blues really evokes the ruggedness of the Maine coastline, where Hartley spent much time. He’s really committed to this limited range of colours. I’m thinking of other painters who took on the sea, like Courbet, or Winslow Homer. All these artists are doing their own version. Painting is like that - we’re all looking at each other, responding, and changing it up, making our own version. And it’s never ever fixed.