ALBERT P. RYDER MEMORIAL EXHIBITION
MCMXVIII
ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER
Photo by Rockwood, New York
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
LOAN EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF ALBERT ‘P: RYDER
NEW YORK MARCH 11 ro APRIL 14 MCMXVIII
- Copyright by THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART March, 1918
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LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION R. B. Angus Charles Melville Dewey Mrs. Charles Fitzpatrick Charles L. Freer John Gellatly Mrs. E. B. Greenshields
The Hillyer Art Gallery, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
Charles E. Ladd Adolph Lewisohn Burton Mansfield
N. E. Montross
Mrs. Alexander Morten George S. Palmer
A. T. Sanden
Dr. Dudley Tenney Lady Van Horne
R. C. and N. M. Vose Mrs. Lloyd Williams Colonel C, E. S$. Wood
Numbers 12 and 35 are from the collection of the Museum.
INTRODUCTION
[T IS strange that the art of Albert Pinkham Ryder should have happened in America in these days, but the history of art prepares one for such contrasts. Within sound of the elevated trains and in the midst of the clang and bustle of this boisterous city of ours, he found his place, and here he painted pictures that depend but little on the statement of facts, and in which the emotional value of design and color reproduces his sentiment in a fashion that approaches the immateriality of music. He is of the company of the Oriental painters, of the Sienese, of Blake, Coleridge, Poe, and of the “Romantic” com- posers. He makes one feel the weirdness of gaunt branches against moonlight skies, the fragility and help- lessness of ships on vast seas, the turmoil of waves that chew on rocky shores. He shows us people of old legends like apparitions in dreams, the serenity of autumn fields basking in afternoon light, the mystery of night. With a poet’s vision and the intuition of a mystic he has chosen the expressive lines and the significant color that evoke these sensations in a way that can not be analyzed.
He worked without sketches, changing and re-changing the composition and color in response to the suggestions of his mood, and often spent years on one of these little panels. The paint is loaded dangerously, fussed over and fused to a surface like enamel, out of which the color
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INTRODUCTION
seems to glow from within like dusty jewels or embers in the ashes. His early admirers, indeed, found color his most remarkable quality. To us of today it is only one of the means, no more important than the others, by which he arrives at the fullness of his expression. The modern trend of artistic appreciation, exemplified in the newly found admiration for Oriental painting, familiarizes us with his language.
He was born in 1847 in New Bedford, Mass., studied in the schools, of the National Academy and under the painter and engraver William E. Marshall, a picture by whom, The Artist’s Mother (M 35-1), is exhibited in Gallery 12. A relationship to the imaginative pictures by Marshall can be discerned in Ryder’s work, and through Marshall, affiliated to a degree with the Thomas Cole group, is found Ryder’s connection with a certain trend in American art. J. M. W. Turner seemingly was one of his influences. But there was not in his case the conscious carrying-on of the tendencies of any person or school. He was a solitary,and worked out by himself his processes and ideals. His death took place on March 28, 1917.
Ryder was also a poet in words. He frequently made verses to accompany his paintings, and as far as possible those that refer to any of the present examples have been collected and printed in the catalogue under the headings of the works they were written for. He made other poems, too, marked by the same characteristics as his pic- tures. No idea of their publication or even of their preservation seems to have occurred to him and many have disappeared. One, entitled The Wind, appeared in an article on the painter in the Century Magazine in 1890. As an interesting analogy to his methods of picture-mak- ing, I quote it here:
INTRODUCTION
THE WIND
The wind, the wind, the wind,
The breath of balmy, balmy evening, That am I, that am I!
My unseen wanderings
Who can pursue, who comprehend ? Soft as a panther treads
When moving on its prey,
I fly o’er beds of roses sweet
And violets pale,
Till disturbed within their slumbers, They bend from my gay caress— Only to lift their heads again
And send the aroma of sweet perfumes To call me yet once more
Ere that I pass away.
I am the wind, the wind, the wind, As fickle as lightning, swift as light. I seize on the giants of the forest And shake them to their roots!
I make them tremble to their sap!
I am the wind, the wind, the wind,
V’ll away, I’ll away to where maidens
Are sighing for fond lovers;
And softly coo and woo and whisper in their ears, With sigh answering sighs,
Making their hearts to throb,
Their bosoms rise
Till I seem hardly from without—
Almost within the voice
Of their souls’ illusion!
What lover would not give his all for this: To kiss that rosy cheek,
Those dewy lids, that luscious mouth;
So wantonly to lift those woven tresses,
And breathe upon those rounded bosoms?
But I’m the wind, the wind, the wind, I’ll away to the gloomy pools profound, Stirring the silence of their reflective depths
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INTRODUCTION
With rippling laughter
At my wanton freaks.
For I’m the wind, the wind, the wind, And my fantastic wanderings
Who can pursue, who comprehend ?
His life was without notable incident, and his pictures, which tell of the struggle and joy each caused him, are its only archives. Beyond that there is little to recount. He was a recluse and his tastes were of the simplest. Though his art brought him but small return in money, it was suf- ficient for his modest needs. Some of his fellow-painters and some discerning critics early appreciated his value and among these he found his few devoted friends.
Bryson BurRouGHS.
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CATALOGUE
It is impossible to place Ryder’s pictures in exact sequence for the reason that work on them extended over a number of years and there were long lapses of time when they were left untouched. The finishing of an earlier picture was often delayed by work on one of more recent date. In general, however, the arrangement of this catalogue is approximately chronological.
IN THE STABLE
Canvas: h. 21; w. 32. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by George S. Palmer.
ROADSIDE MEETING
Canvas: h. 151%; w. 123%. Signed at lower right: A P Ryder.
Lent by R. C. and N. M. Vose.
THE WHITE HORSE Canvas: h. 81%; w. 10. Lent by N. E. Montross.
MENDING THE HARNESS
Canvas: h. 19; w. 22%. Signed at lower right: 4. P. Ryder.
Lent by Adolph Lewisohn.
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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
5 THE CANAL Canvas: h. 1614; w. 20%. Lent by John Gellatly.
6 JOAN OF ARC
Canvas: h. 1044; w. 74%. Signed at lower left: 4 P. Ryder.
Lent by R. C. and N. M. Vose.
On a rude, mossy throne
Made by Nature in the stone
Joan sits; and her eyes far away Rest upon the mountains gray.
And far beyond the moving clouds That wrap the sky in vap’rous shrouds, Visions, she sees—
And voices come to her on the breeze.
With a Nation’s trouble she’s opprest And noble thoughts inspire her breast. Ah, gentle maid, and can it be
Thou willst do more than chivalrie?
That thy weak arm shall strike the blow That hurls the invading conqueror low? Who knows what God knows?
His hand he never shows,
Yet miracles with less are wrought,
Even with a thought.
—ALBERT P. RyDeEr.
7 THE PASTURE
Canvas: h. 12; w. 1544. Signed at lower left: 7 Sg!
Lent by Dr. Dudley Tenney.
8 ORIENTAL CAMP Canvas: h. 744; w. 12. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross.
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10
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12
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WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER
THE RED COW Of. 2S
Panel: h. 1114; w. 12. Signed at lower right: ARyder. Lent by Charles L. Freer.
THE WOOD ROAD
Canvas: h. 634; w. 6%. Signed at lower left: 4. P. Ryder.
Lent by R. C. and N. M. Vose.
AT THE FORD Panel: h..12; w. 113%. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross.
THE CURFEW HOUR
Panel: h. 756; w. 10%. Signed at lower left: 4. P. Ryder.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
PASSING SONG Panel: h. 8%; w. 4%.
”Lent by Mrs. Alexander Morten.
By a deep, flowing river, There is a maiden pale,
And her ruby lips quiver A song on the gale.
Adown the same river, A youth floats along;
And the lifting waves shiver As he echoes her song.
Nearer, still nearer, His frail bark doth glide. Will he shape his course to her And remain by her side?
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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
Alas! there’s no rudder To the ship that he sails. The maiden doth shudder— Blows sea-ward the gales.
Sweeter and fainter The song cometh back; And her mind it will darken And her heart it will rack.
And then she’ll grow paler With this fond memory; Paler and paler— And then she will die.
—ALBERT P. RYDER. 14 PERETTE
Canvas: h. 12%; w. 75%. Signed at lower right: 4 P Ryder.
Lent by The Hillyer Art Gallery, Smith College.
15 THE LOVERS . Panel: h. 1134; w. 7%. Lent by Mrs. Lloyd Williams. 16 MOONRISE, MARINE Canvas: h. 9%; w. 11%. Lent by A. T. Sanden. 17 GAY HEAD
Canvas: h. 714; w. 12%4. Signed at lower right: ARyder.
Lent by A. T. Sanden. 18 FLORIZEL AND PERDITA (The Winter’s Tale)
Canvas: h. 121%4; w. 744. Signed at lower right: 4 P Ryder.
Lent by John Gellatly.
WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER
<» 19 RESURRECTION im Canvas: h. 1744; w. 14%. Lent by N. E. Montross.
20 THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Canvas: h. 141%43 w. 17%. Lent by John Gellatly.
Who hath seen the Phantom Ship, Her lordly rise and lowly dip, Careering o’er the lonesome main No port shall know her keel again.
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But how about that hopeless soul Doomed forever on that ship to roll, Doth grief claim her despairing own And reason hath it ever flown
Or in the loneliness around
Is a sort of joy found
And one wild ecstasy into another flow As onward that fateful ship doth go.
But no, Hark! Help! Help! Vanderdecken cries, Help! Help! on the ship it flies;
Ah, woe is in that awful sight,
The sailor finds there eternal night,
*Neath the waters he shall ever sleep,
And Ocean will the secret keep.
—ALBERT P. RYDER. June 8, 1897.
21 DANCING DRYADS Canvas: h. 9; w. 7. Signed at lower right: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross.
In the morning ashen-hued Came nymphs dancing from the wood.
—A. P. Ryper.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
22 HARVEST Fav i
23
24
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5
26
2
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Canvas: h. 26; w. 35%. Gap
Lent by John Gellatly. Jf oe e PASTORAL STUDY
Canvas: h. 2414; w. 2914. Inscribed at lower left cor- ner: Pastoral Study. Signed at bottom near right corner: Ryder.
Lent by John Gellatly.
NIGHT
Canvas: h. 1214; w. 20%. Signed near lower left- hand corner: Ryder. pe ee ae ag, eae Lent by A. T. Sanden, “PY Se MMW NIGHT AND THE SEA
Panel: h. 114%; w. 124.
Lent by Charles Melville Dewey.
PEGASUS
(Old title, The Poet on Pegasus Entering the Realm of the Muses)
Panel: h. 12; w. 11%. Lent by Mrs. Alexander Morten.
PEGASUS Canvas: h. 14443 w. 17%. Lent by John Gellatly.
MOONLIGHT
Panel: h. 1134; w. 12%. Signed at lower right: ARyder.
Lent by Burton Mansfield. 6
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WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER
29 THE SEA Canvas: h. 2034; w. 1814. / Lent by John Gellatly.
30 MOONLIGHT— MARINE
Panel: h. 12; w. 123%. Signed at lower left: ARyder Lent by N. E. Montross. eS Le
THE DEAD BIRD Panel: h. 436; w. 9%. Lent by N. E. Montross.
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32 DIANA’S HUNT Canvas: h. 18; w. 14. Lent by Charles Melville Dewey.
33 UNDER A CLOUD | gi Canvas: h. 20; w. 2334. Lent by A. T. Sanden.
34 MOONLIGHT COVE Canvas: h. 1414; w. 17. Lent by Mrs. Alexander Morten.
35 TOILERS OF THE SEA Panel: h. 1136; w. 12. Signed at lower left: 4. Ryder. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
With the shifting skies, Over the billowing foam, The hardy fisher flies To his island home.
—ALBERT P. RYDER.
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36
37
38
39
40
Lan
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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
JONAH
Canvas: h. 271%; w. 343%. Signed at lower left: 4P Ryder.
Lent by Colonel C. E. 8. Wood.
THE TEMPLE OF THE MIND Panel: h. 1734; w. 16. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by R. B. Angus.
FOREST OF ARDEN Canvas: h. 15; w. 19. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by A. T. Sanden.
SIEGFRIED AND THE RHINE MAIDENS
Canvas: h. 1934; w. 20%. A. P. Ryder.
Lent by Lady Van Horne.
Signed at lower right:
DESDEMONA Canvas: h. 1414; w. 10. Lent by Charles E. Ladd.
Received too late for reproduction.
MACBETH AND THE WITCHES Canvas: h. 2834; w. 3534. Lent by A. T. Sanden.
THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
Canvas: h. 12%; w. 10. Signed at lower left: 4 P
Ryder. Lent by Mrs. E. B. Greenshields.
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WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER
43 COUSTANCE '
(The Man of Law’s Tale, Chaucer) «/ sCanvas: h. 28; w. 35%.
Lent by Lady Van Horne.
“tHE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT Canvas: h. 14; w. 11%. Lent by Charles Melville Dewey.
45 THE WAY OF THE CROSS Canvas: h. 14; w. 1114. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by Mrs. Charles Fitzpatrick.
46 WEIR’S ORCHARD Canvas: h. 167%; w. 20%. Lent by A. T. Sanden.
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47 KING COPHETUA AND THE BEGGAR MAID Canvas: h. 24%; w. 18. Lent by John Gellatly.
48 THE RACE TRACK
Canvas: h. 2734; w. 351%. Signed at lower left: 4. P. Ryder.
Lent by A. T. Sanden.
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INDEX
At the Ford
Canal, The :
Coustance. (The Man af Law! s Tale » Chaucer Curfew Hour, The . ee eC: Dancing Dryads .
Dead Bird, The
Desdemona
Diana’s Hunt .
Flight into Egypt, The :
Florizel and Perdita (The nee s Tale) Flying Dutchman, The ee ; Forest of Arden .
Gay Head
Harvest ;
In the Stable .
Joan of Arc
Jonah
King Caeua ae ‘ais Bea Maid . Lovers, rhe... 62, mites
Macbeth and the Witches
Mending the Harness
Moonlight . :
Moonlight Cove .
Moonlight— Marine .
Moonrise, Marine
NUMBER II
INDEX
NUMBER Diighie (be oe Os ee Night and the. Sea Orieneit Camp 0 0 ae Q@ Passing Song. yk oe oe ee ae Pastoral. study: 2. SOA Mache: De os on Poedsuss 6 Se Pesasus 2 a Oa a Perette ea Pe ey a ee rr mee fate, “Lhe: cc ioe ols fo Ob, wee hed Cow Pet Oe Ne PRESUTTCCUON ir wo Roadside Meeting =). srg ek Sea, The BU a: te AON ee Deatimental Pourney, Phe 22.50. ie ae ee Siceiniéd and the Rhine Maidens’. >...) 9 ae ‘Pemple of. tie: Wiind, Lhe. 366 “Oller ortine tea oe as ee Wndera london a WV ay of Ghe-@ross, “The 225000. a Ny cis Omenand) 9 OS ON @ Wroite Worse. (ne oo) ee , Nyvoou ikoad, Phe: ) oa ea
IN THE STABLE
ROADSIDE
MEETING
THE WHITE HORSE
4
MENDING THE HARNESS
\
x
THE CANAL
JOAN OF ARC
THE PASTURE
8
ORIENTAL CAMP
°
%
2)
THE RED COW
Io
THE WOOD ROAD
aT
FORD
AT THE
b2
THE CURFEW HOUR
PASSING SONG
PERETTE
15
THE LOVERS
16
MOONRISE, MARINE
”
17
GAY HEAD
18
FLORIZEL AND PERDITA
19
RESURRECTION
20
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
21
DANCING DRYADS
22
HARVEST
23
PASTORAL STUDY
NIGHT
25 NIGHT AND THE SEA
26
PEGASUS
a
PEGASUS
28
MOONLIGHT
29
THE SEA
30
MOONLIGHT— MARIN
31
THE DEAD BIRD
32
DIANA’S HUNT
33
UNDER A CLOUD
34
MOONLIGHT COVE
35
TOILERS OF THE SEA
37 i
THE TEMPLE OF THE MIND
38
FOREST OF ARDEN
39
SIEGFRIED AND THE RHINE MAIDENS
41
MACBETH AND THE WITCHES
42
THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
—
43
COUSTANCE
44
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
45
THE WAY OF THE CROSS
WEIR’S ORCHARD
47
KING COPHETUA AND THE BEGGAR MAID
48
THE RACE TRACK
OF THIS CATALOGUE ONE THOUSAND COPIES HAVE BEEN PRINTED MARCH, 1918
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