Painting No. 50 1915

Marsden Hartley created this painting, known as Painting No. 50, with bold, flat colors and graphic shapes, probably sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. I can see how the artist plays with symmetry and symbolism, creating an almost heraldic image. Look at how the different shapes are outlined. I bet Hartley was working and reworking the image in stages, shifting the composition in response to what he was seeing on the canvas. There's this arrow in the middle, pointing up like a signpost. I wonder if it relates to his other works? This is a painter who kept working through some pretty tough stuff, and that arrow pointing upward feels hopeful. The way he combines abstraction with personal symbols makes me think of other artists like Hilma af Klint, who were also trying to give form to inner experiences. Painting is this ongoing exchange, you know?