Precursor To American Modernism
"Imitation is not inspiration and inspiration only can give birth to a work of art. The least of a man's original emanation is better than the best of borrowed thought!"
Albert Pinkham Ryder
Moonlight Marine - 1870-90 - Albert Pinkham Ryder A lot has been written in recent years about the importance of Albert Pinkham Ryder to the development of modern trends in American painting and beyond. This is rightly so and more than evident when we look back at the painting legacy left behind by artists influenced by him, such as Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Georgia O'Keefe, Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and even down to Chris Dougherty aka "Reg Mombassa of Mambo fame just to name a few. Whether these artists acknowledge(d) his influence on their own work or not Ryder's unique approach to composition, form and colour is indisputable. It doesn't take a lot of hard looking to see the connections his art has with modern art in the 20th century even presaging Pop art with its pared down graphic approach to hard lines and flat patches of colour. His paintings were recognised in his own lifetime and he enjoyed reasonable acclaim although he was never able to achieve adequate financial security and died as a pauper.
It is important to point out here that the "difference" visible in Ryder's art is the result of a childhood illness that caused an impairment in his vision. If we were to take the time to study other artists of the time then it becomes obvious that Ryder is approaching his picture making from an alternative standpoint. By the then "known" terms of artistic procedure he was swimming against the current even as a youngster. His inability to properly assess "depth of field" and "colour" led him to adopt unconventional painting methods resulting in archival problems with his paintings during his lifetime and after as many stories recorded attest to. Many other artists in history also suffered "mental" and "physical" disabilities that resulted in their art being excluded from the mainstream and them being judged as either "heretic," "eccentric," "genius" or even "idiot." Ryder was fortunate to have found acceptance in a traditional American society that was coming of age culturally and so recognised his unorthodox artistic vision.
Look at the application of colour in these two paintings ... an 18th century break with painting tradition.
Look at the application of colour in these two paintings ... an 18th century break with painting tradition.
Historically, artists have looked to their predecessors in order to learn and then innovate their way forward. Progress was the catch cry of the early 20th century and artists were quick to sense change and make that change "visually apparent" by giving it "form." From what i can determine, Ryder wasn't really doing that but because he was so highly attuned to his "craft" it is evident that he was able to delineate in his "romantic" idylls a sense of "modernist foreboding" and "angst." He was, so to speak, a "lightning rod" for his age and the artists of his time recognised this "strange" quality. In the 3 paintings above we can see the flattening out of the painted surface through the use of a more monochromatic use of colour. Of course his play of "light" conveys a sense of "melancholy" and "longing" but aside from his Romantic yearning we detect in his "emptied out" spaces a "harbinger" of the "darkness" to come and a loss of innocence. Gone, are any allusions to "arcadian pastorals" and "wistful nostalgia" but instead we see a "dark light" beckoning us forward on a "fearful passage" and a relentless, terrible struggle against the elements toward the unknown.
In the images below it is possible to see the amazing influence of Ryder's paintings on successive generations of American artists.
In the images below it is possible to see the amazing influence of Ryder's paintings on successive generations of American artists.
Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the intergenerational creep of artistic influence ... where does it leave off or leach into the next cultural progression? We cannot ignore the powerful influence of Japanese wood block printmaking on European and then successive American artists and how that has directed powerfully the way contemporary artists make images today. Neither can we relegate Ryder as a relic of the past to be forgotten because his legacy is far reaching and worthy of commendation. No generation is a cultural island but is indelibly linked to their predecessors ... love it or hate it ... there is much to be learned from this historic heritage as it is passed down. Ryder was unquestionably influenced by the European artists he came into contact with on three cultural tours he did of Europe. He was influenced in particular by Camille Corot but somehow avoided the trap of imitation having understood that "innovation" is the key. Nevertheless, Ryder becomes a substantial catalyst for change in painting convention in his time even though his obsessive layering and re-working of his paintings resulted in their ultimate destruction as the colours faded due to poor practice and chemical deterioration. Today, few of his paintings remain showing any of their original glory and spark of genius. Only some early colour reproductions give us a clue to what his "fresh" work would have looked like one hundred years ago.
"It is not the shock of recognition that his paintings evoke, but the feeling little children have of being lost and found again in a strange, God-filled world."
Alexander Elliot
What has Ryder done for me and my work you may ask? Some have dismissed him as a "hack" or some "quirky aberration" in art history and not worthy of the acclaim that has been heaped upon him by not only his peers but also the as yet unborn who would grow to love his work. My reply to this would be that history is marked by many peaks of artistic aberration of which Ryder was one. Whatever your opinion, i believe probably the most important aspect of Ryder's influence is his integrity to his painting project. I admire this and am inspired because i know how hard it can be at times to keep working and trying to innovate when there often isn't much in the way of reward for all the hard work except the sheer joy of painting and a personal sense of achievement. Even though he painted less than 200 works in his whole life, Ryder showed a dedication and commitment to his work bordering on exemplar! Any artist who can work on the same painting for 10 or 20 years and still see it as unfinished, gets my respect! I don't think he cared much about wealth and i'm sure he died fulfilled because he loved what he did and lived his passion ... painting ... making pictures!!
Here's a few links with images of Ryder's paintings and additional biographical info.
http://www.rickieleejones.com/gallery/albert.htm
http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/bios/ryder-bio.htm
http://www.artmagick.com/pictures/artist.aspx?artist=albert-pinkham-ryder
http://www.rickieleejones.com/gallery/albert.htm
http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/bios/ryder-bio.htm
http://www.artmagick.com/pictures/artist.aspx?artist=albert-pinkham-ryder
