Oh, V i nalhaven. I thought you were talking about a record store.

Speaking of American Moderns, Hartley was always my least favorite of the canonical crew. Give me Dove, give me Demuth, give me Sheeler, give me (Joseph) Stella, give me O'Keeffe if you must. And if we're going to have ugly landscapes, give me John Marin, for crying out loud, but Marsden Hartley you can keep. At least that's how I felt years ago when I actually spent time thinking about this stuff. Now it appears that the only thing we're interested in is who was gay. Turns out Demuth and Hartley were both gay, and I still love Demuth and I still yawn at Hartley. Funny how that works.
(By the way, I saw the figure five expressed in ones and zeros.)

- alex 9-06-2001 4:44 pm


Vinalhaven is a member of the fox islands and is named after the Vinal family who had historical importance there. It's such a small island that every passing vehical will acknowledge you and yours with an easy wave which is invariably returned in kind, to the point that some folks call it Wavin' Haven. The ever expanding mythos of the property where I stay now includes an early habitation of the cabin by the mixly reviewed Mr Hartley. The above picture "ugly landscape" is a fine representation of the never changing rugged shoreline meeting the forever changing sea and sky. Hartley is considered a patron saint in these parts. The newest long term artist in residence is Robert Indiana. He too has glommed onto MH and made a tribute print series in H's honor. Indiana however is not so highly looked upon since getting popped with a same sex underager from the mainland.


- bill 9-06-2001 9:41 pm [add a comment]


  • I suppose it makes sense that the pederast popster should identify with Hartley; what do the down-easterners make of MH's orientation? Hartley reminds me a bit of Robert Morris in recent times, trying on every trendy idea in town, and talking a better picture than he paints. Here and there are some worthwhile works, but the oeuvre remains problematic. The landscapes always look too sub-Cézanne for my taste. Early Modernism abounds in willful crudity and anti-virtuosity, but Hartley never transcends it the way the great Europeans like Picasso and Matisse did. Interestingly, his friend Demuth produced uniquely elegant and refined works out of the same second-hand Cubo-futurism. Did I mention how much I like Demuth? (For that matter, I like Robert Morris better than Hartley, and Indiana too, punk pumping aside.)
    - alex 9-06-2001 11:07 pm [add a comment]


    • There is a fire station on the south side of east 14th st w/ a print of gold no. 5 hanging in plain sight for all passers by. I think because it is station house number five or does the five in the painting refer to engine, engine no. 5 ?



      - bill 9-07-2001 5:05 am [add a comment]



Any idea how I can find out the value of a huge tapestry done by Robert Indiana in tribute to Demuth of the number 5?
Thanks.
- rebornmi (guest) 4-23-2004 1:54 am [add a comment]


whens the next time antiques roadshow is in town ?
- bill 4-23-2004 4:57 am [add a comment]


Robert Indiana is represented by Paul Kasmin Gallery in NYC(new show of his new PEACE paintings - done in response to the Iraqi war - just opened). I would call Paul Kasmin...
- selma 4-23-2004 6:05 pm [add a comment]





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