American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists (1592) Lot
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American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists (1592) December 3, 2017 EDT Lot 122 Estimate: $30000 - $50000 (plus Buyer's Premium) EDWARD WILLIS REDFIELD (AMERICAN 1869-1965) "COAST OF FRANCE" Signed 'E.W. Redfield' bottom left; also inscribed with title and artist on upper stretcher verso, oil on canvas 38 1/4 x 50 3/8 in. (97.2 x 128cm) Provenance: The Artist. The Estate of the Artist. To the Artist's daughter, Louise R. Stephens. To the Artist's granddaughter, Charlotte McKeown. Private Collection, New Jersey. EXHIBITED: "One Hundred and Fourth Annual Exhibition," Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, January 31-March 14, 1909, no. 9. "Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, April 17-May 16, 1909, no. 9. "Exhibition of Oil Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," Buffalo Fine Art Academy, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, October 10-November 8, 1909; and The City Art Museum of St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, November 14, 1909, no. 6 (traveling exhibition). "An Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., January 3-23, 1910, no. 2. "Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield and a Collection of Works by European Masters," The Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York, May 9-June 7, 1914, no. 27. "An Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C., March 14-April 9, 1916, no. 12. "Edward Redfield, A Retrospective of His Work," Newman Galleries, Philadelphia, October 23-November 30, 1968. "A Retrospective Exhibition of the Work of the Great American Impressionist, Edward Willis Redfield of Pennsylvania," William Penn Memorial Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, March 31-May 13, 1973, no 48. Memorial Exhibition, Bucks County Conservancy, June 19- July 6, 1975. LITERATURE: Dorothy Redfield (the Artist's daughter-in-law), "Paintings Distributed to Heirs, After the Bucks County Conservancy Exhibition," The Edward Willis Redfield Estate Journal, June 19-July 6, 1975. NOTE: After graduating from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1889, Redfield traveled to Europe to continue his studies in Paris, at both the École des Beaux-Arts and Académie Julian. Redfield's time in France deepened his appreciation for Impressionism, and he frequently painted en plein air, even upon his return to America. "The Coast of France" possibly depicts the rocky shore of Boulogne, which had been painted earlier by Édouard Manet, one of Redfield's artistic heroes. The craggy hillside rises away from the surf and cradles the scene. A solitary woman disrupts the landscape as she is walking along a narrow, curving path; the dark folds of her skirt repeated in the shadows and crevices of the rocks clustered in the foreground. Redfield's signature thick, broad brushstrokes spread across the hazy sky and wild, overgrown grass blanketing the hills. But for a thin line of blue, the horizon has disappeared, the calm water of the English channel rising to meet the expanse of sky. The overall scene is punctuated with an almost melancholic air, a moody departure from Redfield's light-suffused landscapes - luminous even - especially when depicting winter. From 1898, and into the early years of the 20th century, Redfield visited France often, with his French wife Élise Deligant. These trips are undocumented after 1898. According to Dr. Thomas Folk, the signature, with capital letters is a 20th century Redfield signature, rather than a late 19th century one. This painting must have been a favorite of the artist, as he exhibited it several times, especially in his early career. It may have had some sentimental value to him, as he never sold it, and later, was part of his Estate. We wish to thank Dr. Thomas Folk for his kind assistance in cataloguing this lot. The present painting will be accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Dr. Folk and is to be included in his forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's work..