[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO MARSDEN HARTLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and to honor a 
native son of the largest city in my Congressional District. Marsden 
Hartley was born in Lewiston, Maine, in 1877. He became the most daring 
and original of the group of first generation modernist artists whom 
Alfred Stieglitz brought together in the early years of the 20th 
century.
  In the early years of the 20th century, Marsden Hartley traveled 
throughout the USA and Europe. Considered an early modernist, Hartley 
was a nomadic painter for much of his life. He painted from Maine to 
Massachusetts, in New Mexico, California, New York, and in Western 
Europe. Finally, after spending many years away from his native state, 
he returned to Maine toward the end of his life. He wanted to become 
``The Painter of Maine'' and to depict American life at a local level. 
In this way, he is a member of the regionalists, a group of artists 
from the early to mid 20th century that attempted to represent a 
distinctly ``American Art.'' Hartley is an icon among painters. He is 
considered one of the foremost American painters of the first half of 
the 20th century.
  The State of Maine recognizes the great contribution of Lewiston's 
native son to the world of fine art. Governor John Baldacci has 
proclaimed September 25, 2008 as ``Marsden Hartley Day.'' There will be 
a celebration of his work at Bates College, also located in Lewiston, 
Maine. There will be two screenings of ``Visible Silence: Marsden 
Hartley, Painter and Poet,'' an essay in film by Michael Maglaras.
  I rise today to honor Marsden Hartley for his contribution to the 
State of Maine and the United States.

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