Popocatepetl, Spirited Morning– Mexico

Marsden Hartley, Popocatepetl, Spirited Morning-- Mexico, 1932, oil on board, 25 x 29 in. (63.5 x 73.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sam Rose and Julie Walters, 2004.30.3

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Artwork Details

Title: Popocatepetl, Spirited Morning– Mexico
Artist: Marsden Hartley
Date: 1932
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2nd Floor
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North Wing
Dimensions: 25 x 29 in. (63.5 x 73.7 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Sam Rose and Julie Walters
Mediums Description: oil on board
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Landscape — mountain — Popocateptl
Disaster — volcanic eruption
Landscape — Mexico
Object Number: 2004.30.3
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2004.30.3

Artwork Description

During his visit to Mexico City in 1932, Marsden Hartley was entranced by the two snow-capped volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Ixtaccihuatl, surrounding the city. He devoted much of his time to studying ancient Aztec and Mayan artifacts and primordial myths of creation. According to legend, a Tlaxcaltecas chief promised the hand of his beautiful daughter Iztacc to the brave warrior Popo. Falsely told that her lover had been killed in battle, the girl died from grief. When the young warrior returned, he took her body into the hills and knelt beside her to keep watch. To protect them, the gods covered their forms in eternal snow.