Object Details
Artist
Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925)
Designer
Stanford White (1853-1906)
Description
A wide stretch of snowy landscape. Signature in lower left corner.
Signatures
Signature-D.W. Tryon, 1893, in lower left corner.
Label
In 1891, Tryon offered to paint a picture or two for the house Charles Lang Freer was building in Detroit, "a dream of Beauty," as it was described, "inside and out." Freer readily accepted Tryon's offer, and before long the commission had grown to include five landscapes for the main hall: Autumn (F1893.16), Summer (F1893.15), Winter, Springtime (F1893.14) and Dawn (F1906.86). In these "decorations," as Tryon called these paintings, the artist attempted to maintain the classic "purity" of the interior design by keeping a consistent horizon in every scene. Although some of the paintings were occassionaly exhibited separately, Freer and Tryon always regarded them as an "ensemble."
Tryon rarely painted winter landscapes. He detested the cold weather that drove him indoors, and said he had an aversion to snow scenes. Winter however, was a necessary part of the cycle of seasonal paintings that Tryon produced for Freer's home in Detriot. As the artist's friend Thomas Dewing observed, the austerity of the landscape conveys Tryon's melancholy response to the season. "A thousand miles from home," Dewing said upon seeing the painting, "and friends all dead!"
Provenance
From 1893 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from the artist, Dwight William Tryon on April 12, 1893 [1]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]
Notes:
[1] See Voucher No. 22, April 1893, Box 2, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Curatorial Remarks, S. Hobbs, 1978: One of a series of four canvases based on the seasons, the painting was commissioned for Freer's new home in Detroit which was built in 1892-1893.
[2] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
A Perfect Harmony (October 14, 2017 to October 8, 2023)
Surface Beauty: American Art and Freer's Aesthetic Vision (February 23, 2008 to August 1, 2010)
Choice Spirits: Works by Thomas Dewing and Dwight Tryon (March 9, 1996 to July 7, 1997)
American Art - Dwight William Tryon (May 9, 1993 to February 20, 1996)
American Paintings (December 27, 1984 to January 18, 1985)
Winter into Spring: American Landscapes (March 4, 1982 to June 1, 1982)
Previous custodian or owner
Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
1893
Accession Number
F1893.17a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 71.5 × 155.2 cm (28 1/8 × 61 1/8 in)
H x W x D (frame): 115.9 × 198.4 × 6 cm (45 5/8 × 78 1/8 × 2 3/8 in)
Origin
United States
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
winter
snow
United States
American Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1893.17a-b