The Thundershower

H. Lyman Saÿen, The Thundershower, ca. 1917-1918, tempera on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1967.6.19
H. Lyman Saÿen, The Thundershower, ca. 1917-1918, tempera on wood, 3646 in. (91.4116.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1967.6.19
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Thundershower
Date
ca. 1917-1918
Dimensions
3646 in. (91.4116.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation
Mediums
Mediums Description
tempera on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure female
  • Abstract
  • Allegory — other — nature
  • Landscape — weather — shower
Object Number
1967.6.19

Artwork Description

Saÿen studied with Matisse in Paris and was among the first to bring modern art into Philadelphia's conservative culture. He created The Thundershower from a mix of European modernism and Native American decorative patterns. But this painting is not just "cross-cultural." It also marks a transition from an older world to a new and dynamic century. The two figures move through time and space like the frames of a filmstrip, and organic forms meld with angles and arcs of pure color. Before he began to paint, Saÿen was an electrical engineer who held patents for radiological instruments. He died on the threshold of the Machine Age, shortly after completing this work, and The Thundershower suggests an artist who was already engaged in a new way of seeing.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (71 items)

H. Lyman Saÿen, Décor Slav, ca. 1915, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1967.6.6
Décor Slav
Dateca. 1915
oil on canvas
On view
H. Lyman Saÿen, The Thundershower, ca. 1917-1918, tempera on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1967.6.19
The Thundershower
Dateca. 1917-1918
tempera on wood
On view
H. Lyman Saÿen, The Artist's Daughter, ca. 1916, watercolor on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1968.19.14
The Artist’s Daughter
Dateca. 1916
watercolor on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
H. Lyman Saÿen, Winds, 1915-1916, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Lyman Sayen to his nation, 1967.6.22
Winds
Date1915-1916
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

William H. Johnson, Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.281
Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Bearded Man in Yellow Chair, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.276
Bearded Man in Yellow Chair
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Woman in Green Sweater on Red Bench, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.284
Woman in Green Sweater on Red Bench
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view