Edward Willis Redfield
American, 1869 – 1965
The Riverbank, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1905 – 1908
Oil on canvas
49 7/8 x 56 3/16 x 1 1/8 in. (126.7 x 142.7 x 2.9 cm.)
61 x 67 x 3 5/8 in. (154.9 x 170.2 x 9.2 cm.) (frame)
Anonymous gift
Conservation funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency  1984.13

Snow Day
Redfield was a rugged outdoorsman who prided himself on painting scenes in “one go,” even during brutal weather conditions. His dedication to painting directly from nature went as far as roping the backs of his large canvases to trees to prevent them from blowing away. Notice how the artist’s choice of colors in The Riverbank conveys the crisp, icy feel of the winter air. Rich, impastoed (thickly painted) brushstrokes weave a network of barren vines, twigs, and tree branches through which you can see the river beyond.