American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

Housed in a Bernard Badura frame.

Provenance:

The Artist.

Estate of the Artist.

Charles Walls, by 1967.

Private Collection, a gift from the above.

By descent to the current owner.

Exhibited:

Dover, Biggs Museum of American Art (long-term loan until 2025).

Literature:

John M. W. Fletcher, Edward Willis Redfield (1869-1965), An American Impressionist: His Paintings and the Man Behind the Palette, Lahaska, 1996, p. 172, no. 467, listed, not illustrated.

Lot Note:

Edward Redfield was a founding member of the famed New Hope art colony in the heart of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. After studying in Paris, he returned to America in 1890 and devoted the rest of his career to en plein air depictions of the countryside in and around New Hope. He was known for his trailblazing attitude, braving the elements to capture impressive wintery vistas. This painting depicts the Delaware canal passing through New Hope, home to four locks.

Redfield’s bold manner mimics the harsh weather. The leaden sky above, its blue nearly veering into an ominous shade of grey, threatens to weigh down on the bare trees and rooftops. Thick bursts of paint and contrasting variations of white, grey and cream denote the uneven mounds covering the ground and the deep tracks in the path. The snowdrifts lie heavily on the canal, and the horse-drawn cart is plodding along ponderously. The locks are inoperable, shackled by hefty, unsparing snow.

This potent depiction of frigid weather assailing New Hope is however not exactly what it seems. Attuned to the seasons, the town wisely embraces stillness, adapting to a slower, self-preserving rhythm. The apparent paralysis is akin to a willful standstill, more than a capitulation. Life and energy are still brewing in the midst of these bitter conditions, and a deep sense of resilience emanates from the scene.

Redfield’s rendition of winter is not sentimental or delicate. The work displays a forceful veracity, a steadfast faithfulness to the inclement weather and how it impacts the land. It exemplifies the artist’s crisp and candid approach to representation, less decorative than some of his Impressionist contemporaries. Named an “exponent of manly American painting” by art historian Richard J. Boyle, Redfield sought to inject vigor into the American brand of Impressionism, while celebrating the adaptability and buoyancy of the American spirit.