Nude No. 2 by Louis Ritman

Louis Ritman

1889-1963 | American

Nude No. 2

Signed "L. Ritman" (lower right)
Oil on canvas

This vibrant nude by famed American artist Louis Ritman epitomizes the artist's talent for color, intimacy and atmosphere, qualities that made him one of the leading figures of American Impressionism. In this mesmerizing scene, Ritman's signature energetic brushwork captures a variety of textures, bringing the interior, figure and distant cityscape to life.

At the center of Nude No. 2, Ritman renders the woman's form with a delicate palette that contrasts masterfully with her vivid surroundings. The plush upholstery and lush spread of florals and fruits radiate a luminous warmth that permeates the entire composition. A dynamic play of color and sensuality, this painting is an alluring example of Ritman's signature techniques.

Louis Ritman’s artistic language was forged during his years of study and travel abroad. Born in Kamenets-Podolsky, Russia, he immigrated to the United States as a child and later pursued formal training at the Art Institute of Chicago before relocating to Paris in 1909, where he was immersed in the European avant-garde. It was in Giverny, however, that Ritman found his true artistic voice.

Among contemporaries such as Frederick Carl Frieseke, Richard E. Miller and Lawton Parker, he became a central figure of the famed "Giverny Luminists," American painters drawn to the Impressionist concern with light, color and intimate domestic settings. His paintings today can be found in prestigious collections, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Circa 1929

Canvas: 31 1/2" high x 31 1/2" wide (80.01 x 80.01 cm)
Frame: 41" high x 41" wide x 2 1/2" deep (104.14 x 104.14 x 6.35 cm)

Provenance:
Estate of the artist
Maurice Ritman (1906-1994), Chicago, brother of the artist, Co-Administrator, The Louis Ritman Collection, by descent from the above, 1963
Private collection, Arizona, acquired from the above, 1969
Estate of the above, 2022
By descent from the above, until 2025
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
Nicole De Fleur, Ritman, Random Lake, Wisconsin, 1967, p. 14, illustrated