'Marsden Hartley's Maine' by Donna Cassidy, Randall Griffey and Elizabeth Finch is an exhibit gallery focusing on the work centered in Maine by Marsden Hartley.

Marsden Hartley was a modernist painter and poet who came from Maine and eventually tried to become famous for that, but fame seemed elusive during his life. His painting has heavy lines and vibrant colors and the paint is layered on the canvas. Among the multiple essays includes one about his poetry as well as one investigating his painting style.

I confess to knowing little about Marsden Hartley before reading this book. His painting style is not one I find particularly interesting, but I have a new appreciation for his work and life after reading this book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Yale University Press, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

What an enjoyable book! I had never given Maine much thought even though I travel a lot. I must visit now!

This a collection of essays of Marsden Hartley's paintings, poetry and his relationship with his home state of Maine. Even though he lived elsewhere he always returned to Maine. I found the essays to be very well written and well researched. They are all accompanied by beautiful color illustrations. I also liked the essay about his poetry. This was an area I was not very familiar with. Readers will enjoy this book even if they do have a chance to see the exhibit.

This exploration of Marsden Hartley’s work and in particular his relationship with Maine is everything you could want from an art book. Lavishly illustrated with high-quality pictures and clear and accessible explanatory text, this collaboration between New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine is a volume to savour and opens up his artistic achievement to a wider audience.

Marsden Hartley's Maine by Donna Cassidy is a beautifully illustrated overview of Hartley's life and work with an eye toward his connection to Maine.

While this volume certainly emphasizes the visual art he produced I was particularly interested in Richard Deming's essay on Hartley's poetry. The work as a whole does a wonderful job of giving a well-rounded picture of Hartley but it is the attention given to his literary contributions which really made him come to life for me. I think Deming's suggestion that "some conversation about place were occurring between the paintings and the poems" offers yet another way into both Hartley himself and his works, both visual and literary.

I would recommend this to collectors of books on art and artists. This will also be of interest to those interested in the interplay between place and artistic expression.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I found this book to be very compelling with interesting characters and an engaging plot.