Still Life, No. 1 - Marsden Hartley

A 1912 oil painting by Marsden Hartley featuring fruit, a blue glass, and patterned textiles. This work demonstrates the influence of European modernism on American art.

Marsden Hartley painted Still Life, No. 1 in 1912 during a period of significant stylistic transition. This work reflects his exposure to European modernism while living in Paris. The composition features a bowl of fruit resting on a dark, decorated chest. A single orange sits in a blue glass in the foreground, accompanied by another piece of fruit on a white cloth. A patterned jug stands to the right. The background consists of heavy, decorative textiles. These fabrics use bold patterns and a palette of deep red, black, and yellow. Hartley employs thick black outlines to define the objects. This technique creates a sense of weight and structure. The perspective is flattened, which suggests the influence of Paul Cézanne and the Fauvist movement. Hartley was a member of the Alfred Stieglitz circle in New York. His work from this era often explores the relationship between objects and their surrounding space. The application of paint is heavy and tactile. Each brushstroke is visible on the canvas surface. The colours are saturated but controlled. This painting is an early example of Hartley's interest in the decorative qualities of everyday items. It avoids traditional realism in favour of a more expressive approach to form and colour.