In 1937, after years of travel, Marsden Hartley returned to his native Maine, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. Inspired by the rugged landscape, he painted images of the coast and surrounding area; Mt. Katahdin, the state's highest peak, features in numerous works. He also created elegant still lifes, floral studies as well as pictures featuring lobster traps, nets, and buoys---the trappings of the fisherman's life---including Lobster on Black Background. Often in ill health, his eyesight failing him in these last years, Hartley nevertheless held fast to his love of nature and fascination with form and realism---seen here in the simply rendered directness and crisp outlines of a Maine lobster.
