Edward Redfield

(1869-1965) 

Edward Redfield has to be a major regret for me. I did not appreciate just how good and important he was, nor did I anticipate his comparatively rapid rise in the New Hope School. Redfield’s role in establishing the foundation of the Pennsylvania Impressionists, and his influence both on artists during his lifetime and on current painters in the region is well documented. Redfield developed distinctive techniques to paint large-size landscapes, often winter scenes, in virtually a single day’s effort. The one small example of Edward Redfield’s work I have was purchased from a small dealer around 1971 or so. I believe, in retrospect, the fact that I actually saw an exhibition of the artist’s work at the Grand Central Gallery in 1965, when he was still alive, distorted my perception of his already having achieved a major place in art history. As I recall, the work at that time, and for several years following his death, was not especially expensive… but it was awfully large. Anyway, for whatever combination of reasons, it’s clear that I missed the opportunity to obtain a major example by Edward Redfield. I am, however, appreciative of the smaller example that is in the collection. And I occasionally hear the spoken words of my wife echo in my head: “You can’t have everything.”