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A watercolor painting that depicts a young dark-skinned girl standing with her arms raised in the center of a decorated room. There is a strong sense of overall pattern.
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  • A watercolor painting that depicts a young dark-skinned girl standing with her arms raised in the center of a decorated room. There is a strong sense of overall pattern.

Richard Foster Yarde

The Parlor II

Maker

Richard Foster Yarde (American, b. 1939)

Title

The Parlor II

Year

1980

Medium

  • Watercolor and collage on paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Watercolor and collage on paper

Materials

watercolor

Supports

  • Pieced paper

Dimensions

74.6 x 105.4 cm (29 3/8 x 41 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed in pencil, LR:Yarde 80

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum purchase: gift in memory of Mrs. William Dinsmoor by her friends

Object Number

81.009

Type

  • Drawings and Watercolors

Exhibition History

Perception and Presence in Contemporary Drawing
Mar 05, 2022 – Sep 11, 2022

Label copy

In a painting brimming with fields of color, Richard Yarde works in a number of patterns that repeat throughout. We look into a room from a top-down perspective-an open view that mirrors the arms-spread pose of the young girl. We see her in the room, but also glimpse how she might feel standing in that parlor. Using vibrant color and exuberant pattern, Yard captures the feeling of being present in a space.

Tradition and Innovation in American Watercolors
Jan 27, 1999 – Apr 11, 1999

Label copy

Richard Yarde, professor of art at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, was brought up in an artistic setting. He was very influenced by the work of his brother, Edgar, and his godfather, Amos Gibson, whose hand-colored photographs impressed Yarde as a child. In addition, he acknowledges the work of William Blake, Paul Gauguin, and Walter Murch, his professor at Boston University, as sources for inspiration in his work. Later, his artistic vocabulary expanded to include explorations in African, Asian, and Indian art.

Parlor II is based on childhood memories of warmth and safety amid his family. In his characteristic style, Yarde applies the watercolor in thin, transparent layers, slowly building up the image. Geometric shapes and loosely painted abstract patterns of bright color describe the floor, furniture, curtains, and flowers. The isolated figure of the young girl within this domestic interior contains collage elements.

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Richard Foster Yarde (American, b. 1939)
The Parlor II, 1980
Watercolor and collage on paper
74.6 x 105.4 cm (29 3/8 x 41 1/2 inches)
Museum purchase: gift in memory of Mrs. William Dinsmoor by her friends 81.009

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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