P. 47 by Ryah Ludins

This is a mixed media drawing by Ryah Ludins. It is titled P. 47. On initial examination it appears to be a colorful abstract. However, the title provides a clue to interpret the drawing. At the center of the image is a star in a circle. The dominant figure stretches across the center of the image. It is wide on the right and tapers to the left. There are a couple of circular structures below the main figure. Taken together with the title, the image can be interpreted as a very abstract depiction of a P-47 Thunderbolt one of the dominant fighter aircraft of World War II. One can further imagine the figure 8 on the right of the image as a spinning propellor. In the lower left are some figures that appear to falling, perhaps pilots parachuting after their plane was shot down. There are geometric elements in the background that may hearken back to Ludins association with Cubism. However, the overall appearance is much more reminiscent of the work of many artists of Atelier 17, especially William Stanley Hayter its founder. Ludins is known to have exhibited with this group in the 1940s, although most of these exhibitions are of prints. It is possible that this could be a study for an etching although given that it is titled and signed suggests it is meant to stand on its own. It's a very energetic scene enhanced with effective use of colorful lines superimposed on a yellow wash. The piece is signed and titled lower right P. 47 Ryah Ludins. It is not dated but certainly is from the 1940s The piece is in very good condition. It is hinge mounted to a mat board with some slight residual hinge tape. There are no other condition issues including no toning, staining, foxing, fading, or tears. The image is 12 x 9 inches. The mat board is 16 x 20 inches. A really unusual and unique work by this groundbreaking artist.

Ryah Ludins (1896–1957) Ryah Ludins was one of the most influential printmakers of the mid-20th century in the United States. Born in Russia (what is now Ukraine). As with many Eastern Europeans, she emigrated with her family to the United States, specifically the Bronx, as a child in 1904. Unlike many other immigrants, Ludins’ father was able to work professionally as an architect. She attended the Teachers College at Columbia University from 1917 until 1925, earning a B.S. in Fine Arts, followed by a graduate program. Like other women artists of the time, she obtained a teaching certificate but rather than taking a teaching position, she pursued additional artistic training. While at Columbia, she studied with artist and printmaker Kenneth Hayes Miller. Following graduation, she went to Paris and studied with André Lhote, a noted teacher and painter associated with the Cubists—an influence that can be seen in Ludins’ work. She also spent time in Mexico both as a student at the Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City and as a muralist creating works for the State Museum at Morelia, Michoacan. In New York, she did teach at the at Teachers College Summer Sessions. She was chosen to work with the Work Progress Administration in the mural division and is known to have completed a fresco called Central Park for Bellevue Hospital. She also made some prints for the WPA. She was on the roster for Atelier 17 and exhibited at least one print with the group although information about her association with the Atelier is limited. She exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Her print “Cassis” was included in the 1930 "Fifty Prints of the Year" curated by John Sloane for the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Here work is held in many major collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Newark Public Library, and the National Gallery. (Some material sourced from Women of Atelier 17 by Christina Weyl)