The same crowd around Mabel Dodge moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts, for the summer (Hartley went along as John Reed’s guest), and it was there that the seeds for the future Provincetown Players were sown with the production of plays including Eugene O’Neill’s Moon of the Caribees. It was a congenial time with everyone getting into the act by sewing costumes, constructing and painting sets, and acting or directing. – Marsden Hartley , Gail R. Scott, 1988.
Marsden Hartley was an influential American modernist painter, poet, and essayist known for his vibrant use of color and innovative forms. He played a significant role in the development of modern art in America during the early 20th century. Hartley’s artistic journey took him through various influential art movements, including Expressionism and Cubism, which he encountered during his time in Europe.
Hartley spent considerable time in Provincetown, Massachusetts, particularly during the 1910s and 1920s.
William Merritt Chase was one of Hartley’s early influences. As a prominent American painter who taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Chase emphasized plein air painting and encouraged students to explore their individual styles. This mentorship provided Hartley with foundational skills that he would later expand upon in his unique approach to color and form.
In addition to Provincetown, Hartley was also connected to Greenwich Village in New York City—a hub for avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Here he mingled with contemporaries like Gertrude Stein, who would become an important figure in modernist literature. The vibrant cultural scene of Greenwich Village allowed Hartley to engage with new ideas that influenced his artistic direction.
In 1909, Hartley had his first solo exhibition at Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery “291,” which was pivotal for American modernism. Stieglitz was instrumental in promoting avant-garde artists and provided a platform for their work. This exhibition marked a turning point for Hartley as it introduced him to a broader audience and solidified his place within the modernist movement.
Hartley’s travels to Europe further enriched his artistic vocabulary. In Paris during 1912, he encountered influential figures such as Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. The exposure to European avant-garde movements deeply impacted his style; he began incorporating elements from Cubism into his work while maintaining an American sensibility.
The Armory Show held in New York City in 1913 showcased international modern art and introduced many Americans to European avant-garde styles. Although not directly involved as an exhibitor, this event significantly influenced Hartley’s perception of contemporary art trends and reinforced his commitment to exploring new artistic expressions.
Hartley’s work often reflected themes related to regionalism—an emphasis on local culture and identity—especially evident during his time in Provincetown. His paintings frequently depicted landscapes infused with personal symbolism drawn from his experiences living there. This period saw him create some of his most celebrated works that blended abstraction with representational elements.
In the summer of 1916, John Reed , who had recently finished his series of articles on Pancho Villa and the Mexican Civil War, invited Hartley to his rented house in Provincetown. Writers, painters, and actors from New York’s Greenwich Village had begun to summer in Provincetown when war made travel to Europe impossible. The group included many of the political reformers and personalities from Mabel Dodge’s New York salon: Hutchins Hapgood, Hippolyte Havel, Maurice Sterne, Marguerite and William Zorach, Max Eastman, and Leo Stein. In addition, Hartley mingled with Louise Bryant, the journalist who later married Reed, Carl Sprinchorn, an artist who became on of Hartley’s closest friends, Charles Demuth and Eugene O’Neill, then a budding playwright writing his first plays, The mixture of personalities provided a whirl of social activities; Harley later described it as “the Great Provincetown Summer.” – Marsden Hartley, Barbara Haskell. 1980.
While primarily associated with American modernism, Hartley also engaged with Dada principles during the early 20th century—a movement characterized by its anti-art stance and embrace of absurdity. His exploration into Dada can be seen as part of a broader inquiry into the nature of art itself amidst the tumultuous backdrop of World War I.
