Albert Pinkham Ryder: Painter of Dreams (Library of American Art) [Hardcover]

William Innes Homer (Author), Lloyd Goodrich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dark and brooding, Ryder's (1847-1917) masterful paintings seem to well up out of the superconscious. His heavily textured canvases of storm-tossed ships, moonlit vistas or the haunting allegory Death on a Pale Horse are direct confrontations with nature and with our nature. He is surely one of America's greatest, most enigmatic artists, yet this definitive and beautifully illustrated biographical-critical study is the first full-length scholarly book on Ryder, according to University of Delaware art historian Homer, who collaborated with the late Goodrich, former director of New York's Whitney Museum. The authors shatter the conventional image of the self-taught recluse and give us instead a complex renegade who participated in New York anti-establishment art circles, mingled easily with ordinary workers and bent the influences of Wagner, the Bible, classical myths and dawning European modernism to his idiosyncratic vision.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First Edition edition (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810915995
• ISBN-13: 978-0810915992
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book on Ryder, February 7, 2008

By 

David Kasman (Newton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albert Pinkham Ryder: Painter of Dreams (Library of American Art) (Hardcover)

Albert Pinkham Ryder is one of my favorite painters and this book provides good images and discussion of all of his major works. The book describes Ryder's life and influence as well as his techniques. Additionally, there is analysis of Ryder forgeries (which are common) and the condition problems resulting from his unusual methods. This is fascinating book to view and read.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT MY ART BOOK REVIEWS: It might seem as though I rate most art books very favorably. The reason for this is that I usually visit my local library before buying a book. I'll look at all (in print and out of print) of the Rembrandt (for example) books and choose my favorite one to purchase. In the case of an artist's monograph, I try to choose one or two comprehensive books for each artist. These are generally large, well illustrated hardcovers with above average reproduction quality and informative text, often by one of the leading scholars on the artist. Thus, by the time I purchase a book, I have already found it to be among the best available on the subject.