-4 ■J* * ■'t-*'>- 3 I , • ^l^-*^ ^ ■t^- 'V*** fir - * • ^ ..^ «. V"?^ yv»— ^ ^ I T'* Tine Arts MP 237 H53 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Bdwsrd B, Gordon FINE ARTS Cornell University Library ND 237.R97N53 Loan exhibition of the worl THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART LOAN EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF ALBERT P. RYDER NEW YORK MARCH 11 TO APRIL 14 MCMXVIII Copyright by yXj^j M-^uoi^ The Metropolitan Museum of Art ^ March, 1918 Sc 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 Home 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 JT 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 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, I'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 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. 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. 1 IN THE STABLE Canvas: h. 21; w. 32. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by George S. Palmer. 2 ROADSIDE MEETING Canvas: h. I5j^; w. i2j^. Signed at lower right: A P Ryder. Lent by R. C. and N. M. Vose. 3 THE WHITE HORSE Canvas : h. 8j4 ; w. 10. Lent by N. E. Montross. 4 MENDING THE HARNESS Canvas: h. 19; w. 22 J^. Signed at lower right: A. P Ryder. Lent by Adolph Lewisohn. Vas. If-J^- '■'"■f ^'ip-^i^--/!^^^ C'''<^''nec/) Ay M'-^.M-£>''>^'/, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 5 THE CANAL Canvas : h. i6J4 ; w. 20>4. Lent by John Gellatly. 6 JOAN OF ARC Canvas: h. lo}i; w. jyi. Signed at lower left: yf 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. Ryder. 7 THE PASTURE Canvas: h. 12; w. I5j4- Signed at lower left: A.P P . . . . Lent by Dr. Dudley Tenney. 8 ORIENTAL CAMP Canvas: h. 7J4; w. 12. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross. 2 WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER 9 THE RED COW Panel: h. iij4; w. 12. Signed at lower right: J Ryder. Lent by Charles L. Freer. ID THE WOOD ROAD Canvas : h. 6^ ; w. 6}i. Signed at lower left : J. P. Ryder. Lent by R. C. and N. M. Vose. 11 AT THE FORD Panel: h. 12; w. ii^. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross. 12 THE CURFEW HOUR Panel: h. 7%; w. io%6. Signed at lower left: A. P. Ryder. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 13 PASSING SONG Panel : h. 8>4 ; 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 vfaves 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? THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Alas! there's no rudder To the ship that he sails. The maiden doth shuddei — 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. y^. Signed at lower right: J P Ryder. Lent by The Hillyer Art Gallery, Smith College. 15 THE LOVERS Panel: h. 11^; w. Jji. Lent by Mrs. Lloyd Williams. 16 MOONRISE, MARINE Canvas: h. g}i; w. iij^- Lent by A. T. Sanden. 17 GAY HEAD Canvas: h. yyi; w. 12 J^. Signed at lower right: ARyder. Lent by A. T. Sanden. 18 FLORIZEL AND PERDITA (The Winter's Tale) Canvas: h. 12%; w. 7}i. Signed at lower right: A P Ryder. Lent by John Gellatly. WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER ,19 RESURRECTION Canvas: h. i7}i; w. I4j^. Lent by N. E. Montross. ,20 THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Canvas: h. I4J4; w. I7j4- Lent by John Gellatly. Who hath seen the Phantom Ship, Her lordly rise and lowly dip, Careej-ing o'er the lonesome main No port shall know her keel again. 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: J Ryder. Lent by N. E. Montross. In the morning ashen-hued Came nymphs dancing from the wood. — ^A. p. Ryder. THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 22 HARVEST Canvas: h. 26; w. 35?^. Lent by John Gellatly. 23 PASTORAL STUDY Canvas: h. 24 J4; w. 29^^. Inscribed at lower left cor- ner: Pastoral Study. Signed at bottom near right corner: Ryder. Lent by John Gellatly. 24 NIGHT Canvas: h. 12%; w. 20j4- Signed near lovvrer left- hand corner: Ryder. Lent by A. T. Sanden. I 25 NIGHT AND THE SEA I Panel: h. iiyi; w. 12^. Lent by Charles Melville Dewey. /26 PEGASUS (Old title, The Poet on Pegasus Entering the Realm of the Muses) Panel: h. 12; w. 11%. Lent by Mrs. Alexander Morten. 27 PEGASUS Canvas: h. I4j4; w. I7j4. Lent by John Gellatly. ^28 MOONLIGHT Panel: h. iij^; w. I2j^. Signed at lower right: ARyder. Lent by Burton Mansfield. 6 WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER 29 THE SEA Canvas: h. 20^; w. iSyi. Lent by John Gellatly. 30 MOONLIGHT-MARINE Panel: h. 12; w. 12^. Signed at lower left: ARyder. Lent by N. E. Montross. ,31 THE DEAD BIRD Panel: h. 4^; w. gji. Lent by N. E. Montross. 32 DIANA'S HUNT Canvas: h. 18; w. 14. Lent by Charles Melville Dewey. 33 UNDER A CLOUD Canvas: h. 20; w. 23 J^. Lent by A. T. Sanden. 34 MOONLIGHT COVE Canvas: h. 14/4) w. 17. Lent by Mrs. Alexander Morten. 35 TOILERS OF THE SEA Panel: h. 11^; w. 12. Signed at lower left: A. 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. 7 THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART , 36 JONAH Canvas : h. 27>i ; w. 34^^. Signed at lower left : AP Ryder. Lent by Colonel C. E. S. Wood. ^37 THE TEMPLE OF THE MIND Panel: h. I7j4; w. 16. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by R. B. Angus. ^38 FOREST OF ARDEN Canvas: h. 15; w. 19. Signed at lower right: Ryder. Lent by A. T. Sanden. ,39 SIEGFRIED AND THE RHINE MAIDENS Canvas: h. igj^; w. 20j4. Signed at lower right: A. P. Ryder. Lent by Lady Van Home. 40 DESDEMONA Canvas : h. 14^ ; w. 10. Lent by Charles E. Ladd. Received too late for reproduction. 41 MACBETH AND THE WITCHES Canvas: h. 28^; w. 35%. Lent by A. T. Sanden. 42 THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY Canvas: h. 12^; w. 10. Signed at lower left: A P Ryder. Lent by Mrs. E. B. Greenshields. 8 WORKS OF ALBERT PINKHAM RYDER ^43 COUSTANCE (The Man of Law's Tale, Chaucer) Canvas: h. 28; w. 3554. Lent by Lady Van Home. 44 THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT ; Canvas: h. 14; w. iij4. Lent by Charles Melville Dewey. 45 THE WAY OF THE CROSS Canvas: h. 14; w. llj^- Signed at lower left: J Ryder. Lent by Mrs. Charles Fitzpatrick. 46 WEIR'S ORCHARD Canvas: h. 16%; w. 20^. Lent by A. T. Sanden. 47 KING COPHETUA AND THE BEGGAR MAID Canvas: h. 24 J4; w. i8. Lent by John Gellatly. .48 THE RACE TRACK Canvas: h. 27j4; w. 3; Ryder. Lent by A. T. Sanden. Canvas: h. 27j4; w. 35j4- Signed at lower left: J. P. Ryder. INDEX NUMBER At the Ford n Canal, The 5 Coustance. (The Man of Law's Tale, Chaucer) . 43 Curfew Hour, The 12 Dancing Dryads 21 Dead Bird, The 31 Desdemona . 4^ Diana's Hunt 32 Flight into Egypt, The 44 Florizel and Perdita (The Winter's Tale) ... 18 Flying Dutchman, The 20 Forest of Arden .... 38 Gay Head 17 Harvest 22 In the Stable I Joan of Arc 6 Jonah 36 King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid 47 Lovers, The .-15 Macbeth and the Witches 41 Mending the Harness ... 4 Moonlight 28 Moonlight Cove 34 Moonlight— Marine 3° Moonrise, Marine ... 16 II INDEX NUMBER Night 24 Night and the Sea . 25 Oriental Camp . . . 8 Passing Song . . -13 Pastoral Study 23 Pasture, The . 7 Pegasus ... . . 26 Pegasus .... 27 Perette 14 Race Track, The 48 Red Cow, The 9 Resurrection . ... .... 19 Roadside Meeting . 2 Sea, The ... .... 29 Sentimental Journey, The 42 Siegfried and the Rhine Maidens 39 Temple of the Mind, The 37 Toilers of the Sea 35 Under a Cloud 33 Way of the Cross, The . .... 45 Weir's Orchard . .... 46 White Horse, The 3 Wood Road, The . . 10 12 IN THE STABLE ROADSIDE MEETING THE WHITE HORSE MENDING THE HARNESS THE CANAL JOAN OF ARC THE PASTURE ORIENTAL CAMP THE RRD COW THE WOOD ROAD II AT THE FORD THU CURFEW HOUR 13 PASSING SONG 14 PERETTE 15 THE LOVERS i6 MOONRISE, MARINE 17 CAY H EAD i8 FLORIZEL AND PERDITA 19 RESURRECTION ' THE FLYING DUTCHMAN 21 DANCTNG DR'l'ADS "^--*-T'- 22 HARVEST 23 PASTORAL STUD>' 24 NIGHT 25 NIGHT AND THE SEA 27 PEGASUS 29 THE SEA 30 MOON' LIGHT — MARINE 3J THE DEAD BIRD 32 Diana's hunt 33 UNDER A CLOUD 34 MOONLIGHT COVE 35 TOII.FRS OF THE SEA g!fSCTn;^?:P?PffigSpW!5«*<«^?^Se 37 THE TEMPLE OF THE MIND 38 FOREST OF ARDEN 39 SIEGFRIED AND THE RHINE MAIDENS MACBETH AND THE WITCHES 42 THE SENTIMENTAI, JOURNEY' 43 COUSTAXCE 44 THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT JWWJ^ 45 THE WAY OF THE CROSS J^ ^Bi^ J M^B: .^^';. IKL^r-, '^j|!^^ P-TT;.* -- '^Bfi:^* J|||eI|B^ b^{ ?--, ■ ■ ,..'■ ■■*^'- w *•;•'■„ -4^ ^B^^^^^H "^1 .-^' ■ - ■-■■--- ^ytf^^i*fc-^ IHb^^Ih '■' -" ^^-'^feg^Sg--,: pifPH JMc"' ■" **""' '^■^■^' ^^:jvOhB^*BIB ■ 46 WEIR S ORCHARD 47 KING COPHETUA AND THH REGCAR MATD 4S THE RACE TRACK OF THIS CATALOGUE ONE THOUSAND COPIES HAVE BEEN PRINTED MARCH, 1918 ■^-"Y t r^'*'9^. "j-'^/iTv, -^ j;:.i!i I I ■wjj***^ * T 36^Sr^^.«4