Military Symbols 1 (circa 1913 –14)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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Marsden Hartley's "Military Symbols 1" painted circa 1913-1914, offers a striking visual investigation of martial themes through a bold, abstract lens. This early 20th-century work utilizes a largely monochromatic palette, skillfully playing with shades of black and grey on a subdued cream background.The composition features an array of geometric and abstracted forms that suggest insignia and elements common in military symbolism. Dominant in the arrangement is a central, tower-like structure composed of various superimposed abstract shapes, including rectangles and circles. Stripes, chevrons, and checkerboard patterns contribute to the evocation of military heraldry and banners, while wavy lines towards the bottom hint at water or movement.Hartley, in creating "Military Symbols 1," provides an engaging blend of abstract modernism with thematic content that hints at the order and chaos of military life through the lens of stark, emblematic abstraction.
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Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) is a Maine native and a leading American Modernist painter, along with his contemporaries, Arthur Dove and Georgia O’Keeffe. He is well-known for employing geometric abstraction as well as bold colors and lines. His paintings depicted imagery of nature, landscapes, figures, and still-life. Sponsored by Alfred Stieglitz, Hartley went to Europe in 1912, spending most of his time in Germany, where he met Gertrude Stein, Wassily Kandinsky, and Franz Marc. After returning to America in 1930, he reconnected with the New England of his childhood and started to portray the landscapes of New England in his paintings.