American artist Irving Ramsey Wiles painted this vertical oil painting of a young woman standing beneath a tree. She leans against a slanted trunk, shoulders relaxed, head tipped slightly right, eyes unfocused in thought. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She wears a pale, loose blouse with open collar and full sleeves plus a long grayish skirt. Her arms hang at her side. Dense leaves and grassy ground with tiny yellow blossoms form the backdrop. Broad, soft strokes of olive, brown, and gold tones create a quiet, dappled, daydreaming mood. Diagonal branches frame her with gaps of glowing soft light. Among the leading American painters of the late 19th century, Wiles was admired for refined portraits and evocative outdoor scenes. Trained under American painter William Merritt Chase, Wiles developed a light, impressionistic touch that balanced society portraiture with quieter works exploring mood and atmosphere. In 1889, he became an Associate of the National Academy of Design, presenting a self-portrait in 1890. By 1897, when elected a full Academician, he offered “Day Dreams” as his official diploma painting. Exhibited at the Academy in 1895, it portrays a young woman beneath leafy branches, absorbed in reverie, bathed in dappled sunlight. Critics praised its beauty and atmosphere, and it was even reproduced under the title “Dreaming” as an emblem of “art for art’s sake.” Years later, Wiles reflected with gentle uncertainty: “The title of my diploma picture is, if I remember right, “Sunshine and Shadow.” Anyway that name will do as well as another.” The remark captures both his modesty and the fluidity of his titles, yet the painting’s lyrical stillness secured his reputation at a moment when his career was rising. “Day Dreams” stands as both a personal meditation on beauty and a formal marker of his election into the nation’s artistic elite.

“Day Dreams” by Irving Ramsey Wiles (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1895 - National Academy of Design (New York) #WomenInArt #art #Wiles #IrvingRamseyWiles #DayDream #artText #AmericanArt #DayDreams #OilPainting #portraitofawoman #PaintingofaWoman #BlueskyArt #IrvingWiles #NationalAcademyofDesign

#IrvingRamseyWiles
"The Green Cushion", (1895)

Irving Ramsey Wiles #irvingramseywiles

#IrvingRamseyWiles
Memories (1890)

#IrvingRamseyWiles
The Green Cushion (1895).

This watercolor by American artist Irving Ramsey Wiles portrays a very pale young woman reclining in a floral dress on an Empire revival-style recamier couch. Her mood a bit of a mystery. A heavily-patterned needlepoint pillow conceals half her face, and she lies languidly on the exquisite fancy chaise lounge with expression and body language that strikes me as melancholy. "The Green Cushion" title signals that color is a factor, and indeed the green patch behind the woman sets off the pearlescent tones of her skin. The background is a dark, muted brown, but the soft lighting and muted light colors reinforce the melancholic mood. The woman at leisure was a popular subject in late-nineteenth-century European and American painting. As an exceptionally fresh demonstration of Wiles's skill in watercolor, "The Green Cushion" was awarded the William T. Evans Prize for the best entry at the American Water Color Society's 1897 exhibition. In the early 20th century, Wiles was a popular exponent of American grand manner portraiture as redefined by the work of John Singer Sargent, Giovanni Boldini, and James Whistler in late 19th century Europe. During his peak, he was one of the leading portraitists in America, working alongside his compatriots John White Alexander and Cecilia Beaux to paint the American leisure class. Many consider his oil on canvas 1901 portrait of actress Julia Marlowe at the National Gallery of Art as career milestone; however, other works like "The Sonata" oil painting on canvas from 1889 in the collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are also memorable. Toward the end of his career Wiles was noted for the plein-air land and seascapes he painted at his home in Peconic, New York. Sadly, Wiles died penniless (without so much as headstone) in Peconic on July 29, 1948.

The Green Cushion by Irving Ramsey Wiles (American) - Watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper / c. 1895 - Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) #womeninart #art #watercolorpainting #artwork #womensart #IrvingRamseyWiles #AmericanArt #TheMET #MET #rest #tired #watercolor #MetropolitanMuseumofArt

#IrvingRamseyWiles
The Green Cushion (1895).

I'd like to see an actress wearing this on Oscar night! A Portrait of Miss T., 1910, by Irving Ramsey Wiles (American).

#20thcenturyart #femaleportrait #IrvingRamseyWiles