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Lot Essay
When Edward Willis Redfield's Center Bridge Farm was included in the 1992 exhibition Masterworks of American Impressionism from the Pfeil Collection, David B. Dearinger wrote:
"By 1910, Redfield was well known for his rapidly painted, large-scale snow scenes, almost all of which were painted outside in one or two sittings. Center Bridge Farm of 1914 is typical of these. As he often did, Redfield selected a view of the Delaware River from the hillside, with buildings in the middle distance. In composition this relates to several other paintings by the artist, including Hillside at Center Bridge (1904; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois) and Cedar Hill (1909; private collection). In all three works, the view is down Cedar Hill toward the cluster of village buildings nestled near the river..."
"In works such as Center Bridge Farm, Redfield revealed his exchange of an earlier, dark Tonalism for the brighter colorism of Impressionism. Though winter implies a monochromatic landscape, Redfield, like so many of his contemporaries, painted the scene using a rather extensive palette. The distant snow-covered hills are modeled in a variety of blues and purples, which are echoed in the river and in smaller shaded areas on the roofs and are scattered on the snow in the foreground. Yellows appear on the sides of several buildings and are reflected onto the snow closer to the viewer. A warm, inviting quality is thereby added to a scene that otherwise might be cold and forbidding." (W.H. Gerdts and D.B. Dearinger, Masterworks of American Impressionism from the Pfeil Collection, Alexandria, Virginia, 1992, pp. 215-217)
Redfield and his wife moved to Center Bridge Farm in 1898, a 112-acre plot of land predominantly set on an island in the middle of the Delaware River. The farm was the artist's home until his death in 1965 and served as a base for some of his most successful plein air sketching and painting sessions. Center Bridge Farm, depicting the artist's farmhouse and surrounding trees along the Delaware, is a tour de force of Redfield's celebrated Impressionist style.
This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Edward Redfield's work being compiled by Dr. Thomas Folk.
"By 1910, Redfield was well known for his rapidly painted, large-scale snow scenes, almost all of which were painted outside in one or two sittings. Center Bridge Farm of 1914 is typical of these. As he often did, Redfield selected a view of the Delaware River from the hillside, with buildings in the middle distance. In composition this relates to several other paintings by the artist, including Hillside at Center Bridge (1904; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois) and Cedar Hill (1909; private collection). In all three works, the view is down Cedar Hill toward the cluster of village buildings nestled near the river..."
"In works such as Center Bridge Farm, Redfield revealed his exchange of an earlier, dark Tonalism for the brighter colorism of Impressionism. Though winter implies a monochromatic landscape, Redfield, like so many of his contemporaries, painted the scene using a rather extensive palette. The distant snow-covered hills are modeled in a variety of blues and purples, which are echoed in the river and in smaller shaded areas on the roofs and are scattered on the snow in the foreground. Yellows appear on the sides of several buildings and are reflected onto the snow closer to the viewer. A warm, inviting quality is thereby added to a scene that otherwise might be cold and forbidding." (W.H. Gerdts and D.B. Dearinger, Masterworks of American Impressionism from the Pfeil Collection, Alexandria, Virginia, 1992, pp. 215-217)
Redfield and his wife moved to Center Bridge Farm in 1898, a 112-acre plot of land predominantly set on an island in the middle of the Delaware River. The farm was the artist's home until his death in 1965 and served as a base for some of his most successful plein air sketching and painting sessions. Center Bridge Farm, depicting the artist's farmhouse and surrounding trees along the Delaware, is a tour de force of Redfield's celebrated Impressionist style.
This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Edward Redfield's work being compiled by Dr. Thomas Folk.