Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. Anne Ryan died in 1954; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2024.
In context
Obelisque — Anne Ryan
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 65 at death.
Shaded: the lifetime of Anne Ryan (1889–1954) every dated painting, decade by decade
This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?
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Measured from the image
Main colour
Quinacridone Magenta #6e5f51
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
Together these works take 100.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 8 works by this artist, of which 1 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born in Hoboken, United States of America
Born: Hoboken, New Jersey, 1889
Parents: Both parents died when Ryan was a teenager.
Education: Attended the Academy of St Elizabeth Convent for high school and early college. Left before graduating to marry William McFadden.
Marriage and Family: Married attorney William McFadden in 1911; they separated in 1923. Had three children, Elizabeth, William Jr., and Thomas.
Early Literary Pursuits: Frequented art and literary circles in New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood. Published a novel, Raquel, as well as a volume of poetry, Lost Hills.
European Sojourn: Lived in Majorca and Paris (1931-1932).
Beginnings in Painting: Began painting in 1938, had her first solo exhibition in 1941 at the Pinacoteca.
Atelier 17: Joined Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17 (1941), a printmaking workshop, and created prints.
Key Turning Point – Kurt Schwitters: In 1948, saw the collages of Kurt Schwitters at the Rose Fried Gallery in New York City. This profoundly influenced her artistic direction. She recognized a visual equivalence to her poetry in Schwitters' work.
Focus on Collage: Dedicated herself primarily to collage from 1948 until her death, producing over 400 pieces.
Materials Used: Incorporated diverse materials into her collages including silk, netting, handmade rag paper, and Japanese rice paper. Many works were mounted on handmade paper by Douglas Morse Howell.
Collage as Primary Voice: Found collage to be her primary artistic medium.
Small-Scale Works: Most of her collages were small, averaging roughly eight by six inches.
Juxtaposition of Textures: Juxtaposed small squares of different materials to highlight their distinct textures and densities.
Color Palette: Employed pastel colors in her compositions.
Relationship with Writing: Maintained a permeable relationship between artmaking and writing, though she favored the latter for most of her life. Wrote "Lines to a Young Painter."
Exhibitions: Had three exhibitions at the Betty Parsons Gallery in the 1950s, solidifying her reputation.
Critical Reception: Early critical responses noted the "feminine" qualities of her work.
Posthumous Recognition: An exhibition of her collages was shown at the Brooklyn Museum and traveled to several other institutions including the National Collection of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C.
Association with Abstract Expressionism: Belonged to the early generation of New York School abstract expressionist artists.
Daughter's Artistic Career: Her daughter, Elizabeth McFadden, is also an artist.
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Look closely
Obelisque — Anne Ryan
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
To get a print of "Obelisque" by Anne Ryan, simply order it on its Fine Art Print page: a fine art print on cotton canvas or archival canvas paper.
"Obelisque" by Anne Ryan uses an earthy color palette. The palette summarizes the work's overall color character.
Among Anne Ryan's recorded themes - abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction, color field painting, modernist exploration, formal composition, american art heritage, non-representational, bold visual impact - "Obelisque" brings its own focus on abstract sculpture, geometric form, bold color palette, monumental artwork, modern art piece, black and yellow, smithsonian collection.