The New Hope Art Colony: Edward Redfield, Pt. 4

"The Island" by Edward Redfield

"As an artist Edward Redfield seemed to be searching for American roots. After settling at Center Bridge, he admired all that was considered to possess an American character, and he discounted American paintings, sculpture and architecture that overtly displayed European features. For example, he criticized Henry Chapman Mercer tor looking to European sources in the creation of his eccentric Bucks Country castle, Fonthill.

"Winter Landscape" by Birge Harrison

Redfield's Impressionist snow scenes make interesting comparisons with those of Birge Harrison, a leading Tonalist landscape painter, who was regarded as one of the premier interpreters of the American snowscape. In general Harrison usually employed simple but evocative compositions that create an intense mood. He painted from memory. Redfield painted from nature on the spot. Harrison preferred twilight hours. Redfield preferred the glaring, reflective quality of midday snow. The snow scenes of Redfield and Harrison best represent two leading and contrasting trends in American landscape painting during the early twentieth century.

"Winter at the River Simoa" by Frits Thaulow

Although Redfield's assertive, painterly style was considered to be highly original, the art of the Norwegian Impressionist, Fritz Thaulow, was the most significant European influence on his work. He had visited Thaulow's Paris studio to select one of Thaulow's paintings for an unidentified patron. In a broader sense, Thaulow's influence filtered from Redfield to other Pennsylvania Impressionists and to American landscape painting in general."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "The Pennsylvania Impressionists" by Thomas Folk.)