Edward Willis Redfield
Encyclopedia
Edward Willis Redfield (December 18, 1869–October 19, 1965) was an American Impressionist landscape painter
and member of the art colony
at New Hope, Pennsylvania
. He is best known today for his impressionist
scenes of the New Hope area, often depicting the snow-covered countryside.
Redfield was born in 1869 in Bridgeville, Delaware
. He showed artistic talent at an early age, and from 1887 to 1889 studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
in Philadelphia
. While there he met Robert Henri
, who was later to become an important American painter of the Ashcan School
, and the two became lifelong friends. Redfield later traveled to France and studied at the Académie Julian
and the École des Beaux-Arts
. In Europe, Redfield admired the work of impressionist painters Claude Monet
, Camille Pissarro
, and Norwegian Fritz Thaulow. In France he met Elise Deligant, the daughter of an innkeeper, and the two married in 1893.
Redfield and his wife returned to America and settled in Centre Bridge, Pennsylvania
, near New Hope. Redfield was the first painter to move to the area, and is sometimes considered a co-founder of the artist colony at New Hope along with William Langson Lathrop
.
The impressionist landscapes of Edward Redfield are noted for their bold application of paint and vibrant color. Redfield painted en plein air
, directly from nature rather than in a studio. He would often carry a large canvas into the snow, set it on an easel, and vigorously paint an entire scene in one standing over the course of a day. His works were exhibited nation-wide, and twenty-seven of them were featured at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
in San Francisco, an important venue for artists of the time.
Redfield was a harsh critic of his own art. In 1947 he burned a large number of his paintings that he considered sub-standard. It was around that time that he stopped painting. Redfield died on October 19, 1965. Today his paintings are in many major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
in Washington, DC.
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
and member of the art colony
Art colony
right|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
at New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
. He is best known today for his impressionist
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
scenes of the New Hope area, often depicting the snow-covered countryside.
Redfield was born in 1869 in Bridgeville, Delaware
Bridgeville, Delaware
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,436 people, 570 households, and 381 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,768.6 people per square mile . There were 636 housing units at an average density of 783.3 per square mile...
. He showed artistic talent at an early age, and from 1887 to 1889 studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. While there he met Robert Henri
Robert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
, who was later to become an important American painter of the Ashcan School
Ashcan School
The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, is defined as a realist artistic movement that came into prominence in the United States during the early twentieth century, best known for works portraying scenes of daily life in New York's poorer neighborhoods. The movement grew out of a group...
, and the two became lifelong friends. Redfield later traveled to France and studied at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
and the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
. In Europe, Redfield admired the work of impressionist painters Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
, and Norwegian Fritz Thaulow. In France he met Elise Deligant, the daughter of an innkeeper, and the two married in 1893.
Redfield and his wife returned to America and settled in Centre Bridge, Pennsylvania
Centre Bridge, Pennsylvania
Centre Bridge is an unincorporated community on the Delaware River in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located at the crossroads of River Road and 263), it lies north of New Hope...
, near New Hope. Redfield was the first painter to move to the area, and is sometimes considered a co-founder of the artist colony at New Hope along with William Langson Lathrop
William Langson Lathrop
William Langson Lathrop was an American Impressionist landscape painter and founder of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is sometimes referred to as a "Pennsylvania Impressionist". Lathrop was a member of the National Academy of Design and served on numerous exhibition juries during his...
.
The impressionist landscapes of Edward Redfield are noted for their bold application of paint and vibrant color. Redfield painted en plein air
En plein air
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism...
, directly from nature rather than in a studio. He would often carry a large canvas into the snow, set it on an easel, and vigorously paint an entire scene in one standing over the course of a day. His works were exhibited nation-wide, and twenty-seven of them were featured at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in San Francisco, an important venue for artists of the time.
Redfield was a harsh critic of his own art. In 1947 he burned a large number of his paintings that he considered sub-standard. It was around that time that he stopped painting. Redfield died on October 19, 1965. Today his paintings are in many major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
in Washington, DC.