Furniture Panel c. 1939

This Furniture Panel was made by Albert Ryder, a mid-century American artist, using brown paint on paper. I am looking at this panel and imagining the artist studying medieval carvings, thinking about the relationships between the different shapes and forms of flowers, buds and tendrils. The rhythmic and organic quality of Ryder's forms are so good! I can see his mind at work, trying to make the transition from nature to a stylized wood carving that seems to breathe on the page. The drawing reminds me of my own process where I try to simplify an idea and make it as clear as possible. You can see the artist thinking about the curves and edges and how they come together to create a unified whole. It's like a dance between observation and imagination, as he translates the beauty of nature into a language of abstract form. There's a long conversation happening here, going back centuries.