(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
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.

Works by this artist (4 items)

Ted Gordon, Cat, 1969, felt-tipped pen and ink and collage on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1982.114.2
Cat
Artist
Date1969
felt-tipped pen and ink and collage on paperboard
Not on view
Ted Gordon, Orange Face, 1982, colored pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.110
Orange Face
Artist
Date1982
colored pencil on paper
Not on view
Ted Gordon, (Untitled--Cat), 1982, ballpoint pen and ink, felt-tipped pen and ink, crayon and, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1983.56
(Untitled – Cat)
Artist
Date1982
ballpoint pen and ink, felt-tipped pen and ink, crayon and
Not on view
Ted Gordon, (Untitled--Face), 1979, felt-tipped pen and ink, ballpoint pen and ink, and pencil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1982.114.3
(Untitled – Face)
Artist
Date1979
felt-tipped pen and ink, ballpoint pen and ink, and pencil on paperboard
Not on view

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