Dancing Dryads

Albert Pinkham Ryder, Dancing Dryads, by 1879, oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.93
Copied Albert Pinkham Ryder, Dancing Dryads, by 1879, oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard, 9 x 7 1⁄8 in. (22.8 x 18.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.93
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Dancing Dryads
Artist
Date
by 1879
Location
Dimensions
9 x 7 1⁄8 in. (22.8 x 18.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — tree
  • Performing arts — dance
  • Mythology — classical — dryad
Object Number
1929.6.93
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1929.6.93

Artwork Description

Many American painters in the nineteenth century painted nature as a classical world of dryads, nymphs, and other imaginary creatures. Albert Pinkham Ryder was inspired by a painting by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot that shows dancing figures in an atmospheric, intimate landscape. In Dancing Dryads, Ryder added many layers of paint and glaze to create a thick, enamel-like surface that emphasized the glowing colors and dreamlike scene. Over time, however, the colors faded and an early restorer actually added the outlines around the figures to prevent them from disappearing into the background. (Broun, Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1989)