Featured Artwork: Early Moonlight

RSW's Diary Comments

None.

Springfield Union, March 1921: by Ernest Newton Bagg

“This canvas shows the edge of mystery in forest form, the blue-black trunks of multitudinous trees with ghostly patches of moonlit snow and glimpse of cold sky beyond treated in a remarkably effective way. This was the first time Mr. Woodward has exhibited here in Springfield. His pictures have already gained recognition in the Boston Art Club, the Worcester Museum, the National and Buffalo Academies , the Albright Gallery and the annual Carnegie exhibition. Last year he was the recipient of honors of the first class in the Concord exhibition and the year before he won the first Hallgarten prize of the National Academy. His work has, in all the accounts of these various exhibitions been characterized as showing an intimate grasp of the commoner phases of nature coupled with an unusual power of imparting to even sharply outlined features their full value of charm while still preserving absolute naturalness of color. Mr. Woodward, who is unfortunately handicapped by invalidism, is an indefatigable worker."

"Another one of his woods interiors painted in winter with a beautiful effect of light filtering through the trees from a luminous sky."

Purchased by George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, Springfield, MA., March 1921

Came up for auction at Skinner Inc. Auction but was not sold. Low estimate was $3,500. High estimate was $5,500.

This painting was added to the art collection of the Springfield Museum in 1921. How it then showed up for auction is unknown.

Sold in summer of 1985 by the Museum.