2008.24.McD Hartley, Mountains No. 19

Moving from Europe to New Hampshire in 1930, Marsden Hartley turned to the White Mountains for inspiration, marrying the lush New England colors he remembered from his Maine childhood with the faceted forms of Paul Cézanne, whose paintings and home base of Aix-en-Provence had been his focus of study for the previous half-decade. Hartley's initial high hopes were eventually dashed due to his irritation with commercial tourism and by a drought that blunted the autumnal colors he had expected. By October he wrote that he was "done in with this incarceration . . . no escape day and night from facing nature constantly . . . and now I am all [a] garbage heap of nerves and weaknesses." Nevertheless, when exhibited later that year at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery, An American Place, Hartley's latest body of work did well due to the deeply lush colors and bold forms that are displayed so triumphantly in this painting.

One of the greatest of 20th-century American painters, Marsden Hartley continually tried to synthesize the visual experiments of European Modernism with the sometimes conflicting claims of American subject matter, critics and audiences. The painting under consideration, Mountains no. 19, represents an important moment in that struggle, as it shows Hartley re-imagining the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the wake of an extended examination of Cézanne over the previous half-decade - and points the way to his ultimately triumphant imagery in Maine at the end of his career: i.e., his iconic treatments of Mt. Katahdin. Deeply colorful and lushly harmonious, Mountains no. 19's aesthetic attractiveness belies the stressful situation of its creator. By the summer of 1930, Hartley had spent two extended periods of residency in Europe (Paris and Berlin: Aix-de-Provence), punctuated by war, disillusionment, occasional ill health, and a host of styles that ranged from Futurism and Expressionism to Cubism to abstracted images of the New Mexico landscape. Although he had early support from Alfred Stieglitz, who had given him exposure at 291 Gallery and An American Place, Hartley's existence was still peripatetic and uncertain when he rented an inexpensive farmhouse in New Hampshire. Hartley had high hopes initially for his work in the White Mountains, hopes that were eventually blighted through a disappointment with commercial tourism and by a drought that blunted the autumnal colors he'd expected. By October 1930, he wrote that he was "done in with this incarceration...no escape day and night from facing nature constantly...and now I am all garbage heap of nerves and weaknesses" (quoted in Haskell, 1981, p. 81). Nevertheless, when exhibited later that year at An American place, Hartley's latest body of work did well. Marsden Hartley is one of the critical gaps in the American Modernist collections at the Museum. HIs sole representation is in the form of a tiny Still Life with Two Pears (1967.2, Gift of Mark Tobey) that is charming but not of a quality or scale suitable for gallery display. As one of the artists upon whose work European Modernism had arguably the greatest impact, his absence on a significant scale in the collections is an obvious opportunity for redress. While Hartleys frequently enter the art market, the work under consideration is an especially attractive choice. It would play an important role not only in giving the Museum a dazzling example of the painter's work, but its subject matter uniquely harmonizes with other examples of American abstracted landscape in our collections, such as Georgia O'Keeffe's Bare Tree Trunks with Snow (1953.1, Dallas Art Association Purchase), John Marin's Bathers (1969.19, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation), and our extended loan Alfred Henry Maurer Fauvist Landscape (20.2006, lent by David T. Owsley).

Original text:  Although he had early support from the photographer and dealer Alfred Stieglitz, Marsden Hartley faced an uncertain future in 1930 when he rented an inexpensive farmhouse in New Hampshire. For inspiration, he turned to the White Mountains, marrying the lush New England colors he remembered from his Maine childhood with the faceted forms of Paul Cézanne, whose paintings Hartley had closely studied. His initial high hopes were eventually blighted by irritation with commercial tourism and a drought that blunted the autumnal colors he had expected. By October he wrote that he was “done in with this incarceration . . . no escape day and night from facing nature constantly . . . and now I am all garbage heap of nerves and weaknesses.” Nevertheless, when exhibited later that year at Stieglitz’s New York gallery, Hartley’s latest body of work did well, due to the deep colors and bold forms so triumphantly displayed in this painting.

Place of origin: New Hampshire (state): TGN: 7007564

Depicted location: White Mountains (mountains): TGN: 7014622

Oil on board

Before d. 1943: Marsden Hartley (1877-1943)

After d. 1943: Estate of the artist

1958: Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, NY

1959: Nelson-Taylor Consultant Gallery, New York, NY

1961-2006: private collection

2006: sale, Christie's, New York, May 25, 2006, lot 49 [1]

2006-2008: private collection, Houston, TX and Caribbean, probably purchased from the above

From 2008: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased through Owen Gallery [2]

Notes: The main source for this provenance is William Keyse Rudolph, DMA Acquisition proposal, located in the Collections Records Object File.

[1] The method of transfer from one private collection to another in 2006 is not specified but probably took place through Christie's, New York, May 25, 2006.

[2] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museum. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.

12936926: UMO

Apply to objects where number equals 2008.24.McD