Landscape No. 3, Cash Entry Mines, New Mexico

Art Historical Context

Marsden Hartley's *Landscape No. 3, Cash Entry Mines, New* (1920) captures the rugged beauty of New Mexico's mining country in a striking oil-on-canvas painting measuring 70.6 × 90.8 cm. Painted during Hartley's brief but transformative stay in the American Southwest from 1919 to 1920, the work depicts the stark industrial landscape of the Cash Entry Mines, with their earthy tones and dramatic forms evoking the harsh yet majestic terrain. A key figure in American modernism, Hartley drew from his earlier experiences with German Expressionism, infusing this piece with bold colors, simplified shapes, and emotional intensity. Oil on canvas allowed him to layer thick impasto textures, heightening the sense of monumental scale and tactile presence typical of his landscapes. This series marked a shift from his abstract portraits to a more direct engagement with American regional subjects, bridging European influences with the raw spirit of the West. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of the Americas department, the painting reflects early 20th-century fascination with America's industrial frontiers. It invites viewers to ponder the interplay of nature and human enterprise, showcasing Hartley's ability to transform ordinary scenes into profound visual poetry.

About the Artist

Marsden Hartley

Marsden Hartley (1877–1943) was one of the most significant and searching figures of American modernism, an artist whose restless travels and personal intensity drove him to synthesize European avant-garde currents with a deeply American sensibility rooted in landscape, loss, and spiritual longing. Born in Lewiston, Maine, he studied at the Cleveland School of Art and later at the National Academy...