(Lobster on Black Background)

Marsden Hartley, (Lobster on Black Background), 1940-1941, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Henry P. McIlhenny, 1978.52
Copied Marsden Hartley, (Lobster on Black Background), 1940-1941, oil on fiberboard, 22 x 28 in. (55.9 x 71.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. Henry P. McIlhenny, 1978.52
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
(Lobster on Black Background)
Artist
Date
1940-1941
Location
Dimensions
22 x 28 in. (55.9 x 71.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Henry P. McIlhenny
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — fish — lobster
Object Number
1978.52
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.52

Artwork Description

In 1937, after years of travel, Marsden Hartley returned to his native Maine, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Inspired by the rugged landscape, he painted images of the coast and surrounding area; Mt. Katahdin, the state's highest peak, features in numerous works. He also created elegant still lifes, floral studies as well as pictures featuring lobster traps, nets, and buoys---the trappings of the fisherman's life---including Lobster on Black Background. Often in ill health, his eyesight failing him in these last years, Hartley nevertheless held fast to his love of nature and fascination with form and realism---seen here in the simply rendered directness and crisp outlines of a Maine lobster.