Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-19

TiHHIRTY- SEVEN paintings by Ed
ward W. Redfeldl constitute an
extremely interesting and i'm
portant special exhibition at the Cor
coran Gallery of Art. The collection
which is shown in the special exhibi
ton room. comprises almost entirely
recent works and is made up in large
part of winter pictures. These pictures
Mr.. Redfeld paints out of doors despite
the cold, and as rule at single sit =
ting They are virile and frank. full
of sunlight and air. colorful and I'M
pressive. In most instances the frames
represent just so many windows cut
in the walls through which one looks
out upon nature. For Edward W. Red-
field is the leading exponent in thus
country of the plein air school of paint
ing He is a reaIist-a translator of
nature
Writing of Mr. .Redfeid's work some
years ago. J. Nilsen Laurvik SAID: Tie
seeks out and depicts with uncompro-
missing strokes the specific. visual
aspects of scene Ills power Of litera
rendition Of any particular place Is
amazing in its typographical veracitE'
He presents slimpses of nature VITA
all the actually of scene viewed
through window. in which hrs art
is a direct antithesis TO that of Whistler
and his followers. which is nature
viewed through temperament one
is seldom. if ever. made conscious OF
the conventions of art in these iumin-
Gus, stimulating landscapes: rather. the
effect is one of stark reality in when
the accent of light and color is per-
hans somewhat more vivid than in the
original scene. While there is no ms
taking a Redfield anywhere. his work
is. nevertheless. very impersonal; IT is
no, tinged by preconceived notions as
To what nature is or ought to be: it is
not colored by imaginative vagaries'
His art is concrete and explicit adner-
ing with extraordinary fidelity to ma
Ia highly objective Always and ever! :
where his eye is on the ever-chaneinE
face of nature. noting the ever var .'s
aspects of sky and land. winch ne mas
recorded with unerring precision IN
long series Of brilliant, vibrating can
vases" NJ. pod
fields work today as the day II Has
tribe more subtleiy than he did then.
having gained greater conmand OF ms
medium his style remains unchahseo'
and it is we'll 81, ,,,a
indeed. be a calamity. That there are
tonalists and impressionists ana prem
air painters today is reason Ior reJo''
ing. And to the end OIL ti,he NJ
ers as there are indiv idual persona l.
ties. IT would be simple enough TO
enumerate what Mr.. Redfelds PANT
ings are not but it may he more inter
esting to consider what they are ana.
first of all, they are typicaily AMERICAN
vigorous, competent. successful. PeI
haps they have in them sreatet nov, '.
Of nationalism than the work OF any
other living American painter.
This is the more remarkable IN the
light Of the knowlede that Ed"aro
Redfeld got his chief instruction In art
in the studios Of Bouguereau and Rob-
err. Fleury and at first to great ex-
tent followed their mode of express
sion. II was not until after he re-
turned to this country and settled down
to paint in the Delaware valley that ne
literally found himself.
No doubt the big outdoor world
spoke to him and it's big truths filled
his eyes At all events he set himself
to paint what he saw and he succeeded
through dogged determination, untir
ing industry and perseverance,. Obvi-
ousIy there was the original endow-
ment of talent. but Redfield's tempera
ment is less patent in his work than
his technical mastery. He paints not
only well but brilliantly; he has now
adays perfect command Of his medi
UNI: he translates nature with almost
unerring accuracy. and because nature
! is almost invariably lovely his pic
lures are lovely. Beyond this. how
ever he rarely goes. He is no inter
prefer of moods, no discoverer of hid
den beauty. Neither does he concern
himself to any great extent with such
| matters s pictorial composition. The
themes he presents are much as he
| has found them without pattern either
| in line or mass. 1t is, therefore. the