Artwork
The Dark Mountain, No. 1
The Dark Mountain, No. 1 is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Marsden Hartley. It dates from 1909 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Its subject matter, encompassing a house, mountain, and landscape, suggests a representational treatment of the natural environment.
The Dark Mountain, No. 1 is classified as a painting by Marsden Hartley, dated 1909 and held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work's modest dimensions, measuring 35.6 cm in height and 30.8 cm in width, indicate a relatively small-scale canvas. Its subject matter, encompassing a house, mountain, and landscape, suggests a representational treatment of the natural environment.
Beyond these basic cataloging details, the available sources do not specify the medium, support, particular pigments, brushwork, stylistic movement, or current condition of the work.
History & Provenance
The Dark Mountain, No. 1 is an oil painting created by Marsden Hartley in 1909. While the specific commission details and initial ownership chain are not recorded in the available sources, the work dates to the beginning of that year. The painting depicts a landscape featuring a house and a mountain, rendered in a style characteristic of Hartley's early period.
Currently, the artwork is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The physical dimensions of the canvas are 35.6 centimeters in height and 30.8 centimeters in width. No further information regarding its provenance prior to its acquisition by the museum or the specific circumstances of its creation is provided in the cited records.
Overview
Marsden Hartley's 1909 painting, The Dark Mountain, No. 1, presents a somber and abstracted landscape. It features a dark, rugged mountain scene, hinting at a dwelling and a solitary figure. The work is characterized by its intense mood and raw application of paint, reflecting an early exploration of expressive forms. It is housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a shadowy, hunched figure in a high-collared coat, positioned against a turbulent background of blurred greens, browns, and reds. Above, two pale forms suggest either eyes or clouds, adding to the scene's unsettling atmosphere. The overall impression is one of a desolate, perhaps forgotten, place, imbued with a sense of tension and foreboding.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Marsden Hartley was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist. Hartley developed his painting abilities by observing Cubist artists in Paris and Berlin.
