Randall R. Griffey

Marsden Hartley's Maine by Donna Cassidy is a beautifully illustrated overview of Hartley's life and work with an eye toward his connection to Maine.

While this volume certainly emphasizes the visual art he produced I was particularly interested in Richard Deming's essay on Hartley's poetry. The work as a whole does a wonderful job of giving a well-rounded picture of Hartley but it is the attention given to his literary contributions which really made him come to life for me. I think Deming's show more suggestion that "some conversation about place were occurring between the paintings and the poems" offers yet another way into both Hartley himself and his works, both visual and literary.

I would recommend this to collectors of books on art and artists. This will also be of interest to those interested in the interplay between place and artistic expression.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Quick review of iconic mural series. Purchased from TH Benton museum at his home in KC.