Under a Cloud
ca. 1900
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Alice E. Van Orden, in memory of her husband, Dr. T. Durland Van Orden, 1988
Accession Number
1988.353
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albert Pinkham Ryder's *Under a Cloud* (ca. 1900) captures the moody essence of the sea in oil on canvas, measuring 20 x 24 inches. This American work, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, exemplifies Ryder's signature style as a Tonalist painter. Known for his romantic, visionary depictions of nature, Ryder often evoked mystery and introspection through simplified forms, earthy palettes, and thick impasto layers that lent his surfaces a sculptural depth. Oil on canvas allowed him to build these textured effects slowly, mirroring the timeless swell of ocean waves. The painti...
About the Artist
Albert Pinkham Ryder · 1847–1917
Largely self-taught, Albert Pinkham Ryder is widely considered one of America's greatest visionary painters. His intense use of color and mysterious themes are distinctly Romantic. Ryder moved with his family from New Bedford, Massachusetts to New York in 187, where he studied briefly at the New York National Academy of Design. He studied the engravings of Camille Corot and other Barbizon painters...