Elizabeth Broun

Few American artists have captured painters imaginations with the gripping force of Albert Pinkham Ryder (1847-1917). The brooding spirituality of his works, coupled with formal innovation decades ahead of its time, have long made Ryder a favorite of innovators like Jackson Pollock, Marsden Hartley, and Robert Rauschenberg. And yet, the artist s biography and practices remain elusive. A Wild Note of Longing whose title is taken from a Ryder poem--takes up the challenge, bringing a new generation of scholarship to the most comprehensive collection of Ryder masterworks assembled to date. Ryder is considered a seminal artist for both the late-nineteenth-century Gilded Age and for the emerging modernism of the early twentieth century. This publication presents research from the last ten years including William Agee s recent work on Ryder s influence and context within modernism. New evidence has also debunked some of the historical myths around Ryder, such as the degree of his elusiveness and social eccentricities and the lack of deliberateness with which he experimented with color and luminosity. New perspectives include a deep focus on Ryder from the perspective of his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts. This monumental project will represent multiple voices from leaders in the field on the continuing and ever evolving relevance of Albert Pinkham Ryder on modern art.

"1934: A New Deal for Artists" celebrates the 75th anniversary of the US Public Works of Art Program, drawing on the Smithsonian American Art Museum's unparalleled collection. In 1934, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the US government created its first program to support the arts. The Public Works of Art Program lasted for six months, from December 1933 to June 1934, and artists from across the US were encouraged to depict the American scene and boost morale through art. The Program paid artists to paint regional, recognisable subjects - portraits, cityscapes and landscapes, images of both city and rural life - that reminded the public of the essential American values of hard work, community and optimism. The 55 paintings in the book are a lasting visual record of America at a specific moment in time; a response to an economic situation all too familiar today.

This analysis of grassroots art focuses on examples from environments in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. It looks at the work of artists such as Samuel P. Dinsmoor, Dave Wood and Ed Galloway, describing their cultural contexts and influences. There are photographs of their creations.