Springtime

Object Details

• Artist

  Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925)

• Description

  Shade-trees, apple-trees, and woods beyond.

• Signatures

  D.W.Tryon, MDCCCLXXXXII, in lower right 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: Summer (F1893.16), Autumn, Winter (F1893.17), Springtime, 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 each of the paintings would sometime be exhibited separately, Freer and Tryon always regarded them as an "ensemble."

  Spring and autumn were Tryon's favorite seasons. He customarily timed his arrival in the country so that he could "catch the sping," hoping to glimpse the contours of the trees through the budding branches; and he never returned to New York until the end of the autumn, waiting until the leaves had fallen so that he could once again observe the "wonderful anatomy of the trees."

• 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, "Springtime" 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

  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)

  Eighteenth Annual Exhibition of the Society of American Artists (March 28 to May 2, 1896)

  The Sixty-Sixth Annual Exhibition (December 21, 1896 to February 22, 1897)

  Untitled Exhibition, Smith College Museum of Art, 1894 (April 1894)

  World's Columbian Exposition (May 1 to October 30, 1893)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dwight William Tryon (1849-1925) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1890s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Tryon, Dwight William

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Landscapes, Art, American Art, Spring

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings